Crescentina modenese

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Crescentina modenese is a traditional, disk-shaped Italian bread that is crispy on the exterior and soft on the interior. It is traditionally baked in special stones called tigelle (the reason why the flatbread is sometimes called like that), and usually slathered with a spread made from lardo, rosemary, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The stones often have a decorative symbol on both sides, which is embossed on the dough as it bakes. It is believed that crescentina modenese was invented by the poor people from the Apennine Mountains near Modena, where farming families would gather around the hearth to bake their evening bread.