A journey of discovery of Trattoria da Noemi
A story of tradition and passion for cooking
Noemi was born in April 1922, and was the ninth child of a family of contandini in the province of Ferrara.
She interrupted her studies in third grade because the miles to school were many, almost 20 and at home, with all those hungry siblings returning from the countryside there was always a need for a hand to prepare food. This is what she told me:
In the countryside, she didn't like the hard work in the fields, so to contribute to the family she began to prepare quantities of homemade ice cream and with her little motorcycle she would sell it at the Berco industrial plant in Copparo.
She became a mother at 17, but not of me I am the third of three siblings. I must have been the menopause of her 43 years!
Noemi was always very busy, she started by selling everything: fruit, sandwiches, ice cream always moving many miles into the countryside, thus developing great business acumen.
She was very beautiful, slender and smiling, and when she passed through the town square everyone looked at her and said, "Noemi put rocks in your pocket or you will fly away."
Years went by, and at the first opportunity not to do all that traveling anymore, she took over a tavern in Bernarda, a small town near Copparo.
I don't know exactly how long he stayed there together with my father and little brother.
What I do remember is that later after my sister was born they moved to another osteria "Adlà da Po" that is, across the Po River.
Here Noemi learned several recipes, including Venetian-style salt cod and stewed catfish.
In 1958 with money inherited from the death of his father (my grandfather Primo) and signing numerous promissory notes, he bought this trattoria at 31 Via Ragno. My father was initially against it because he had been assigned land to cultivate towards the Po Delta obtained from the reclamation works.
My mom categorically told him :
"Mi a vag a Frara, ti fa quel cat vo!"
Translation: "I go to Ferrara you do what you want!"
Just to show you what a strong woman she was, really tireless! Noemi got up every day at four in the morning.
First she would clean the trattoria, then she would hang out to dry the tablecloth for the hall and the household cloths. Later he would prepare the pastry to make cappellacci, cappelletti and tagliatelle.
At lunchtime he would go to the kitchen, light the fires and start preparing the dishes for the customers. My father would stay in the dining room, sitting at the cash register doing the accounts (he always enjoyed being an accountant).
When the noon service was over she would tidy up the kitchen and then there were all the household chores to be done...she was never one for tidiness, that's the only thing I didn't take from her, otherwise I'm the same!
Thank you mom!
