The fruit that gives its name to the town, the specialties of the city's historic patisserie, the raspadura of Grano Padano: the red zone is a land of agricultural tradition, good food and much more
Before Coronavirus many of us had never heard of Codogno. Now, however, this municipality of the Po valley it is on everyone's lips, involuntarily leaping to the center of world news after it was identified as the outbreak of the Covid-19 infection.
Yet for many who did not know of Codogno's existence, as many knew him: those who frequented him for work, some for the agricultural school, some because he had passed by there by chance sometimes, some for a relative or friend in these parts.
Codogno is not the Coronavirus
Once the emergency is over – hopefully soon – probably in the collective imagination Codogno will be associated for a long time with the Coronavirus, but its inhabitants, already these days through social networks, are trying to avoid this eventuality, claiming the existence of Codogno beyond the epidemic. «Codogno is not Coronavirus, but much moreAre keen to let people know.
"Reduce sociality", the inhabitants of Codogno (and not only) were asked by the institutions. And it's a bit like losing a part of your identity, because Codogno is sociability and sociability is tradition and good food.
The good of Codogno
Codogno is to find oneself in Cairoli square for mass, for the market, for Friday night at the bar.
Codogno is the Cattle Fair in November, the ancient agricultural fair that has been held since 1791.
Codogno is the low fog.
Codogno is a bike that rides in the summer fields and farmhouses.
Codogno are the cows, milk, pigs of breeders who try to resist.
Codogno is the Quince, the typical fruit of the area from which the town probably took its name. And the quince is there cotognata, because this apple is perfect for making jam.
Codogno is the historian Cornali pastry in via Roma, which the quince jelly does, of course, but it also invented the San Biagio cake, patron of the city, a cake made with shortcrust pastry, orange marmalade, sponge cake and almonds, which was customary to eat on 3 February after the blessing of the throat in the church; and also i Codogno biscuits, about which the owner of the pastry shop said he was worried because they are called as the country and who knows what will happen now … And it would really be a shame if they were no longer appreciated because their buttery, but crumbly shortcrust pastry, with a slight hint of coconut , is like another hundred, but also like no other, and is perfect to be tasted like this or with a mascarpone cream or with a sweet wine.
Codogno is the raspadura: have you ever tasted it? It is a typical product of the Lodi area, soft and impalpable flakes of Grana Padano (scraped with a particular knife) which melt in the mouth, accompany the cold cuts to the aperitif and which, put to garnish a risotto steaming disappear from sight, but not on the palate …
And we hope that once Coronavirus has disappeared, Codogno reappears in all its goodness!
