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Crescentine (or tigelle) with cunza

17/11/2023

Crescentine, often called tigelle, are a delicious flatbread originating from Emilia-Romagna. They are traditionally served with cunza, a condiment made of lard and aromatic herbs, but we can offer a lighter and atypical touch by using, instead of lard, some olive oil or butter for those who prefer a less heavy variant.

Ingredients for the tigelle:

  • 500 g of soft wheat flour
  • 25 g of fresh yeast
  • 250 ml of tepid water
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ½ teaspoon of baking soda (optional)

Ingredients for the cunza:

  • 200 g of pork lard (or 150 ml of extra virgin olive oil or 200 g of butter if avoiding lard)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Fresh rosemary to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Tigelle Dough: Dissolve the yeast in a bit of tepid water. In a large bowl, place the flour and make a well. Pour the dissolved yeast into the center and begin to knead, gradually adding the rest of the tepid water, the salt, and, if you want, the baking soda. Work the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. Cover with a cloth and let it rise for about 2 hours in a warm place until it doubles in volume.

  2. After rising, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 5 mm and cut out discs using a round cutter or a glass (they should be about 8-10 cm in diameter).

  3. Heat the tigelle iron (if you don’t have a tigelle iron, you can use a very hot pan), place the dough discs on it and cook for about 6 minutes per side until they puff up and get a golden crust.

  4. Preparing the cunza: Finely chop the rosemary and garlic. If you’re using lard, cut it into pieces and work it in a bowl with the minced rosemary and garlic, salt, and pepper, until you get a homogeneous paste. If you’re using olive oil or butter instead, mix these with the aromatic chopping and season with salt and pepper.

  5. When the tigelle are ready, serve them hot and spread a bit of cunza on each.

Trivia

The true cunza is made with lard and originated from the ancient mountaineers’ need to stock up on food that could withstand long winters. Today it is considered a specialty and is preserved in tradition for its rich and decisive flavor.

Remember that you can always adapt the condiments to your taste, perhaps with cold cuts, cheeses, or vegetable creams if you wanted to improvise a modern and personalized variant. Enjoy your meal!

Crescentine (or tigelle) with cunza