PISAREI AND FASÖ: THE TRADITIONAL PIACENTINA RECIPE AND ITS STORY

Among the most authentic symbols of Piacenza’s cuisine are Pisarei and fasö (or Pissarei): small dumplings made from flour and breadcrumbs, born as a humble dish and over time becoming an icon of Emilia’s culinary tradition. Recognized as Traditional Agri-Food Products (P.A.T.), they are prepared with a few simple ingredients and served with a rustic sauce made of beans, lard, onion, carrot, celery, and pork rind: a combination that captures the true essence of rural Italian cooking.

Like most Italian pasta shapes, Pisarei have ancient roots. Their uncertain origin is traced back to the Middle Ages, when pilgrims traveling along the Via Francigena stopped in Piacenza and were welcomed in the monasteries. Inside the refectories, monks served warm, nourishing meals made with what was available at the time: flour, stale bread, and legumes. At that time, black-eyed beans were used, and the recipe did not yet include tomato sauce, since borlotti beans and tomatoes only arrived in Europe after the discovery of the Americas.

Over the centuries, the genuine simplicity of this poor yet hearty dish helped it spread across rural households, where it was passed down from generation to generation. Pisarei are a perfect example of zero-waste cooking: from stale bread to lard and pork rind, every ingredient was valorised, and anything was wasted.

As time went by, the original recipe evolved with the arrival of tomatoes, borlotti beans and, in some local versions, Piacenza cacio cheese, giving life to the “red” version known today.

The origin of the name “Pisarei” has long been debated.

According to some, it comes from a distortion of the local dialect word “bissa” (“biscia”, “snake”), referring to the long, thin, snake-like strips of pasta obtained before cutting the gnocchi.

Others instead trace it back to the Spanish verb pisàr (“to press”, “to crush”), recalling the gesture of the thumb which, when applied, gives the Pisarei their typical shape with a small dimple in the center.

Manual skill has always been essential in preparing Pisarei. A charming anecdote told by Anna Gosetti in the book Le ricette regionali italiane, narrates that once upon a time the mothers of future grooms would check the calluses on their daughters-in-law’s thumbs: a sure sign she was used to making Pisarei by hand!

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