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In Romagna very few people don't know the Saraghina, also known as Papalina because in ancient times it was fished only in front of the papal possessions of the upper Adriatic Sea; even many of those who came here for tourism have learned to appreciate it after getting to know it in its various gastronomic preparations, offered in the thousands of restaurants along the coast and always present in the many festivals and fairs of the area. Typical local products: the Saraghina, the blue fish of the AdriaticThe Saraghina is not a sardine, because it is bigger; it is not an anchovy, because it is smaller; it is simply the saraghina: one of the symbols of Romagna and its cuisine; a symbol so strong that even the Rimini director Federico Fellini named one of his characters in "8 e mezzo" after it; at one time, for the people of the Romagna coast, the Saraghina was like polenta for the people of northern Italy.Being an oily fish, the Saraghina romagnola has important nutritional qualities such as its low content of unsaturated fats, and the presence of vitamin B12 and niacin in higher quantities than any other fish; it has an excellent intake of protein, Omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, thanks to their ability to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. They are also rich in lysine, an amino acid that is in short supply in bread and pasta, so that the combination of "piadina romagnola and saraghina" is an extremely tasty and complete meal.
