Piadina, Piada

This unleavened bread from Emilia-Romagna is similar to the Arabic pitta bread, but tastier. It is usually eaten with the local speciality of Parma ham, stracchino cheese or even sautéed spinach, but may also be served as an accompaniment to other dishes. There are as many recipes as there are families who make this bread, but the basic recipe is to mix together 500 g (1 lb 1½ oz) 0 flour, 55 g (2 oz) lard, a pinch of salt and just enough water to produce a soft and elastic dough (sometimes people add yeast). The dough is kneaded briefly and then allowed to rest for 1 hour, before rolling it out to a thickness of 3-4 mm (⅛-⅙ inch). It is then cut into discs about 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter.