Guiglia Borlengo School

Learning the art of borlengo in Guiglia

The International Borlengo School of Guiglia is a unique initiative, established in 1996 for the 26th Borlengo Festival and offered every year since by the Pro Loco Guiglia APS. More than just a cooking class, it's a journey to transmit the gastronomic culture of the Modenese Apennines, teaching how to prepare borlengo—the extremely thin and crispy wafer typical of the region—exactly as Guiglia tradition dictates.

What is borlengo

Borlengo is a humble, ancient food made from water, eggs, and flour, cooked until it becomes "a large, transparent, golden sun" and seasoned with cunza, a mixture of lard, garlic, and rosemary, finished with plenty of Parmigiano cheese. In Guiglia, in the upper Apennines of the province of Modena, its preparation was passed down from father to son and family to family. A local saying even recalls this: "Un Burlèng, un bicèr ed vèin e as campa 'na vèta"—a borlengo, a glass of wine, and you live a lifetime.

How the course works

The School is divided into two evenings, usually during the week preceding the festival weekends. Each session is split into two parts:

• Theoretical part: a lesson on the history of borlengo and the stages of its preparation, from the liquid batter called colla, to cooking on the foconi (hearths) and soli (the characteristic tinned copper pans), to filling with cunza.
• Practical part: students are guided by the true borlengo masters of Guiglia, who lead them step-by-step in making their own first borlengo cooked over a fire.

Exam and diploma

After the two evenings, there is an exam in two parts: a theoretical quiz (true or false) and a practical test, with scoring out of sixty and the awarding of a diploma to the new borlengo makers. This is the most anticipated and convivial moment, marking the students' entry into the community of those who know how to prepare borlengo perfectly.

At the heart of Maggio del Borlengo

The School is part of the Maggio del Borlengo calendar, the month that the Municipality of Guiglia dedicates to its signature product, culminating in the historic Borlengo Festival in Piazza Marconi, which began in 1967. Participating in the School means experiencing a living tradition of Emilia-Romagna from the inside, discovering the secrets of a dish that tells centuries of Apennine life.