In 16th-century Cremona, meals were organized not by starter-main-dessert but by time of day and the Church calendar. There was the minestra (the soup or pasta dish that opens and nourishes), the companatico (what accompanies bread: cheese, cured meats, fish, or eggs), and the credenza (sweets, candied fruits, and spiced wines served at the end or to welcome guests). On lean days imposed by Lent and vigils, meat was replaced by river fish, legumes, and eggs.

The great gourmet affair of the Po plain: a hard cheese, aged for a long time, grated over pasta and soups. In Campi's time, this 'Lodi' cheese was already the pride of Lombardy and appears in almost every Cremonese dish, from daily to festive.