Deciding which Emilia Food Love products to order first is genuinely difficult, because the catalog spans aged cheese, charcuterie, pasta, sauces, sweets and preserves, and almost none of it is a category where you can guess well. Ordering Italian specialties shipped from Italy is a considered purchase, so the first box should earn its place.
These are the picks worth starting with, grouped by what they actually do for your cooking rather than by aisle.
Best overall: Parmigiano Reggiano DOP 72 months
If you buy one thing, buy the cheese. Parmigiano Reggiano DOP aged 72 months is the store’s flagship and the single ingredient most likely to change how your weeknight food tastes.
The brand’s framing is unusually romantic — an extremely ancient cheese made the same way at least since the Middle Ages, described in the writing of the great Italian poets of the 14th century, and cited by Boccaccio in The Decameron, where he imagines a mountain of grated Parmigiano with people on top making nothing but maccheroni and ravioli.
Strip the poetry away and the practical case still stands. A DOP designation and a 72-month aging window are specifications, not adjectives, and grating cheese is the ingredient you use most often and think about least.
One practical note on ordering it: this is the item most worth buying in a size that lasts, because a well-aged hard cheese is the least fragile thing in the box and the one you reach for most often. Browse the current options at EMILIA FOOD LOVE.
Best pantry upgrade: Extra Virgin Olive Oil Toscano IGP
The Toscano IGP olive oil in the balanced flavor profile is the second staple to fix. It is certified by a Control Body authorized by the Competent Ministry in Italy, and the brand recommends this particular expression for balanced flavor dishes rather than positioning it as a one-oil-fits-everything bottle.
The product description makes a point worth repeating: oil production has always required experience, patience, care, dedication and time, which is why in many cultures it became an element of great value beyond gastronomy. Some people call it the elixir of long life. What that means at your stove is that a finishing oil and a cooking oil are different jobs, and this is the former.
Best pasta: Egg Tagliatelle (4 Pack)
Durum wheat semolina egg pasta, sold in a four pack, and the most immediately useful thing in the catalog after the cheese.
The origin story is a good one. In 1487 the wedding of Alfonso I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, to Lucrezia Borgia drew every eye in Italy, and according to the legends that have reached us it was the bride’s long blonde hair that inspired the invention of tagliatelle.
For cooking, the brand suggests the classic mushroom sauce or a traditional meat ragu, and notes it also works with salmon, vegetables, pesto, or simply a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. That last option is the tell: pasta good enough to eat with nothing on it is pasta worth importing.
Best time-saver: the Datterino Tomato Sauce tasting set
This is the pick that changes the most weeknights. The sauces are made with the finest Italian tomatoes, including red and yellow Datterino, extra virgin olive oil and a few carefully selected ingredients, and every jar is ready to use straight from the pantry with no cooking required.
The four-jar tasting set covers four distinct characters:
- Chili Pepper — a pleasantly spicy sauce made with just a handful of natural ingredients; the brand notes the chili pepper has been a symbol of luck and protection since it first reached Europe.
- Eggplant and Peppers — a mix of tomato varieties with eggplant and both red and yellow peppers, for a wholesome plate when you do not want to spend time in the kitchen.
- Datterino and Capers — red and yellow Datterino tomatoes with the briny touch of capers, suggested with a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Datterino and Olives — the same tomato base with olives, and the brand explicitly invites experimenting across shapes: penne, tagliatelle, pici, spaghetti.
Buying the set rather than single jars is the right move on a first order, because you find out which direction your household leans before committing.
Best bold pick: ‘Nduja
‘Nduja is the Calabrian spicy spreadable salami, and it is the most interesting single item here for anyone who already cooks confidently.
Its story is as remarkable as its flavor: born in humble kitchens that made the most of every part of the pig, it became a versatile delicacy with a bold and unmistakable taste, appreciated even in gourmet cuisine. What makes it unique is the blend of spices, especially red chili, and the fact that it is spreadable, almost like a delicious spicy butter.
Three uses cover most of what you will do with it: as a pasta sauce, as a pizza topping, or spread over warm bread. One jar quietly upgrades a lot of quick meals.
Best sweet: Nocciomiele acacia honey and hazelnut paste
Nocciomiele is the sleeper of the catalog. The brand notes that in ancient times giving a hazelnut tree as a gift was a wish for happiness, then makes a straightforward case: everyone knows hazelnuts and chocolate work, but hazelnuts and acacia honey create a deliciously unexpected flavour.
What makes it special, per the producer, is the care taken selecting the hazelnuts, which are toasted slowly in a wood-burning oven before being covered in high-quality acacia honey. It is a breakfast, dessert and cheese-board item all at once.
Best charcuterie: Capocollo (Dry Cured Coppa)
If a cheese board is the goal, Capocollo is the meat to pair with the Parmigiano. The brand describes cured meats as small treasures shaped by time, skill and a deep respect for tradition, from an era when knowing how to use salt properly was a point of pride and an important family secret.
Capocollo, or Coppa, traces back to ancient Rome, where its ability to keep for long periods made it ideal food for soldiers facing endless journeys. Today it is simply the slice that makes a board look considered rather than assembled.
Best for a board: Parmigiano Reggiano crackers
The crackers are the easiest add-on in the catalog and the one guests notice. The brand’s own framing is that after countless products and recipes you might think there is nothing left to say about Parmigiano Reggiano, but some flavors never stop inspiring new pairings.
They are described as delicious and versatile, flavorful without being heavy, and the label carries the note that Parmigiano Reggiano is a certification mark for the relevant ingredient, authorized by the Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano. Buy them alongside the cheese, not instead of it.
What to leave for a second order
Two things are better saved. The single-flavor tomato sauces — Chili Pepper, Eggplant and Peppers, Datterino and Capers, Datterino and Olives — are excellent, but buying them individually before you have tried the tasting set means guessing. Let the four-jar set decide for you, then restock the winner.
The individual cantucci are the same case. Almond, Chocolate, Fig, and Apple, Raisin and Cinnamon are all sold on their own, but the Cantucci Tasting Set puts all four recipes in one box for the same purpose. These are biscuits with over four centuries of history behind them; there is no rush to pick a favorite on day one.
How to build a first order
- Parmigiano Reggiano DOP 72 months — the ingredient you will use daily.
- The Datterino tomato sauce tasting set — four weeknight dinners solved.
- Egg Tagliatelle (4 Pack) — the pasta to put underneath them.
- One wildcard: ‘Nduja if you like heat, Nocciomiele if you have a sweet tooth.
That combination gives you a full dinner, a full breakfast and a cheese board from a single order at EMILIA FOOD LOVE.
For more ways to trade up on staples, see food upgrades that make home cooking feel luxurious. If you are buying for a cook rather than yourself, our kitchen gift guide for home cooks and roundup of food gifts delivered cover the rest.