Rice Cake began spreading in the country surrounding Reggio Emilia at the beginning of the ‘900, when the peasants’ daughters moved to rice paddies in Bassa region to work as “mondine”, thus contributing to the family budget.
Rice was the largest part of their salary and it soon entered in their daily diet. For this reason, they tried to create new, tasty recipes, both salted and sweet. As all recipes of peasants’ tradition, this dessert too is characterized by its extreme simplicity, the essentiality of its ingredients and its high nutritional value.
A dough of rice, milk, sugar, eggs, anise liquor and lemon zest is baked until its surface covers with a crispy crust. Among the most renowned recipes of Rice Cake, that of Marta Ferrari must be mentioned. A “mondina” and a rezdora, known and loved in all Reggio Emilia.
When asked what was the secret hiding behind such a great dessert, Marta always answered it was all about the anise liquor, which gave the dough all its flavors.