Emilia-Romagna is the capital of gastronomy in northern Italy. It lies along the Po valley just to the south of Lombardy and Veneto, and is the most fecund growing area of Italy. Most Italian tomatoes come from here, and many are canned and exported along with her many fruits, such as cherries and quince. Parma, Modena, and Bologna ("Bologna the Fat," as she has been called for some six centuries) are her greatest cities. The food here is rich, and unlike the lighter fare to the south -- where olive oil dominates, creamy sauces and animal fats are everyday ingredients. Parmesan cheese, perhaps the single most utilized ingredient in Italian cooking, is made here, and its quality is carefully regulated. Though it is named for the city of Parma, in fact the cheese was traditionally only sold there. It was made in the neighboring city of Reggio. The cheese that holds the dual appellation Parmigiano-Reggiano is strictly regulated by Italian law. Prosciutto di Parma is the fabulously sweet, ruby-red ham for which the city is justly famous. Such a perfect ham does not evolve in a vacuum. Cured meats and salamis of all kinds are exceptional here. Though these Bolognese gourmets have some resistance to elaborate antipasti, thinking them appetite dampeners, they never want for a taste of ham or salami before a meal. The pasta is made here with eggs, rolled thin for lasagna or flat noodles. It is as often stuffed as not. The fillings for these raviolis and their manifold cousins range from vegetables and cheese, to game, pork and even sweetmeats. The region has always been relatively wealthy, and meat is a centerpiece of the diet. Roasting and boiling are the most guarded and sacred modes of preparation. Regional specialties include balsamic vinegar, white truffles and wild mushrooms, and the ragus (meat sauces) for which American Bolognese sauces are named. However, in Bologna, those meat sauces are absolutely never served over spaghetti.