[1][2] It is local to Rimini, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy,[3][4][5] and traditionally eaten in November for All Souls' Day.

[1][6] Though its name suggests that it is a piadina,[1][5] a traditional flatbread also native to Romagna, piada dei morti is a sweet focaccia,[1][2] a soft bread.

[9] In local folklore, the bread is attributed to ancestral recipes from the times of the Celts in Romagna,[1][10] or the Senones.

[3][11] On the night of Samhain, mischievous nocturnal domestic elves known as the Mazapégul would visit houses while the spirits of the dead would return to their homes and towns.

[1][10] Others attribute the bread to Ciro Brunori, a pastry chef at the Antica Pasticceria Vecchi in Rimini's Borgo San Giuliano,[12] from the early 20th century.