What to eat in Parma

In Parma you start with prosciutto, Parmigiano and culatello, with torta fritta and tortelli d'erbetta beside them. Prices run from €6.50 (al cestino, with a choice of cured meat) for torta fritta to a hundred grams of culatello, which costs €5.80–7 (100 g).

Torta fritta is dough that puffs into a hollow pillow in the oil and is eaten warm, with prosciutto or another cured meat. At Trattoria del Grillo it is served al cestino, in a basket, for €6.50 (al cestino, with a choice of cured meat). It is also the cheapest meal price on this page, so it makes a good first order.

Tortelli d'erbetta

Tortelli are filled pasta; d'erbetta means the filling is chard. At Trattoria Menozzi a portion is €9.50, and the same restaurant has a fixed-price menu. The other filled pasta of Parma, anolini in brodo, goes with them.

BudgetHow much a meal adds to the daily bill:What Parma costs →

Prosciutto, Parmesan and culatello

Prosciutto di Parma DOP is served in restaurants as a portion, €10 (restaurant portion, 24+ months). Parmigiano Reggiano DOP aged twenty-four months costs €2.40–2.80 (100 g) in a shop. The dearest is the culatello di Zibello DOP, €5.80–7 (100 g); it is sold by the hundred grams.

Day tripsWhere all of it comes from, if you go to the ham valley:Day trips from Parma →

Lunch at menu prices

• Menu. A set lunch runs €10–15; Ombre Rosse publishes one for lunch.
• Main course. In a trattoria a main is €11–19.
• Street food. Torta fritta in a basket, €6.50 (torta fritta al cestino).

1 dayWhere lunch fits into the one-day plan:Parma in 1 day →

When to goWhen it is nicest to sit outside:The best time to visit Parma →