It is not for nothing that the city is known as ‘Bologna la Grassa’ (‘the fat one’). The city has 41 products protected by the European DOP (Designazione d’Origine Protetta) − more than any other city in Italy − an abundance of excellent restaurants, a tradition of long and leisurely meals and a spiralling number of cooking schools where visitors can learn the secrets of the local cuisine. It is generally regarded as the culinary capital of Italy. Tortellini remains the city’s signature pasta dish, confirmed by an annual international cookery contest to determine the finest creations.
The regional cuisine is robust yet refined. Unless you fall for a tourist trap, it is a challenge to eat badly in Bologna and Emilia-Romagna in general. The quality of ingredients is superb and local people are so demanding that mediocrity is punished. In the wealthy agricultural region of Emilia-Romagna each town produces its own pasta dishes and signature foods. Modena jealously guards the secrets of its world-renowned artisanal vinegar, Parma has patented Parmesan cheese and Italy’s favourite ham (prosciutto crudo di Parma) and the Ferrara area can only mean cappellacci di zucca, pumpkin-stuffed pasta, or salama da sugo, pig’s liver and tongue stuffed into a pig’s bladder and cured in wine.
Parma − Haven of Gastronomy
Crudo di Parma (Parma Ham and locally simply known as prosciutto crudo) and Parmigiano, the hard sharp-flavoured cheese, are intricately linked because the whey – the waste product from Parmigiano-Reggiano production − forms part of the quality fodder of the special pigs that produce Parma ham. True Parma ham is branded with the five-pointed crown of the medieval dukes of Parma and is produced in the Langhirino hills south of Parma. Here the raw hind thighs are hung in drying sheds for up to 10 months. The air that blows through the sheds is said to impart a sweet flavour to the meat – unlike cheap, mass-produced prosciutto crudo which is injected with brine and artificially dried to speed up the curing process. Try it as a starter, sliced into wafer-thin slivers for eating with bread, melon or figs. End your meal perhaps with slivers of superior Parmigiano-Reggiano, the king of Parmesans, which is especially delicious with apples, pears or a good red wine. To meet the master cheese-makers and taste their products visit www.parmigiano-reggiano.it.
The region is a trailblazer in creating food and wine routes (Strade dei Vini e dei Sapori). While these trails are often more of a promotional tool than a genuine excuse to tickle your taste buds, the routes are a convenient way to track down the top local producers of anything from asparagus and slippery eels to Parma ham and Parmesan cheese.
Tagliatelle al ragù
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Where to Eat
With gastronomic treats on offer in the Mercato di Mezzo, the ancient heart of the city, it is tempting to have snacks on the run. Here one of the many delis will make you up a padina or crescentina (flat focaccia-like bread) with a generous filling of finely sliced prosciutto di Parma, mortadella or squacquerone (fresh tangy cream cheese). Or you can choose from the enticing array of canapés and tapas-style food, including fish, in the covered Mercato di Mezzo, which can either be taken away or consumed at casual communal tables.
Main meals are served in a ristorante, trattoria or osteria but the difference between the three is negligible these days. An osteria, traditionally a tavern or inn serving wine and pasta, can nowadays range from traditional to trendy (eg Modena’s Osteria Francescana was voted the world’s best restaurant in 2018). A pizzeria often extends to pasta and meat dishes but usually serves proper pizza bubbling hot from a wood-fired brick oven. The Italians prefer to eat pizza in the evening, and to accompany it with beer rather than wine. An enoteca or wine bar boasts a serious selection of fine wines, many available by the glass, and often served with a platter of cheese or charcuterie. Many inns or bars also serve food, especially pasta, and often have late-opening hours.
As in the rest of Italy, restaurants offer four courses: antipasti (hors d’oeuvres), the primo (first course, typically pasta in Emilia-Romagna but also risotto or soup), the secondo (main course of fish or meat) and the dolce (dessert), followed perhaps by cheese, coffee and a digestivo. Not that you would be expected, these days, to wade through every course.
Café life on Via Caprarie
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Antipasti
The most characteristic antipasto is a platter of assorted salumi − cured pork products such as wafer-thin slices of prosciutto crudo di Parma (Parma ham), mortadella, salami, coppa di testa (brawn), cíccioli (pork from Parma) and, if you’re lucky, culatello di Zibello, one of the most prized and expensive of Italy’s salumi, produced around Zibello, south of Parma. Salumi might be accompanied by a slice of crumbly Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Vegetable antipasti are likely to feature peperoni (peppers), zucchini (courgettes), melanzane (aubergine or eggplant) and carciofi (artichokes).
Far From Baloney
If you think of mortadella as the pre-packaged, pre-sliced and over-processed cold cut (American ‘bologna sausage’ or ‘baloney’) from your local supermarket, think again. Eating Mortadella di Bologna in its birthplace is a completely different experience. The pork is carefully selected according to strict regulation imposed by its PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), then finely ground and flavoured with small white flecks of high quality pork fat (from the neck of the pig), peppercorns and (sometimes) pistachios. It is then heat-cured for a few hours or several days according to the size. Sausages are typically between 5.5kg and 6.5kg (12 and 14 lbs) though in 1989 one was made that was over 5.75m (19ft) long, and 1,300kg (2,864 lbs) in weight. A good mortadella should be sliced as thinly as possible and eaten with fresh, crusty bread along with a glass of light fruity red wine; alternatively you can have it as an appetiser in small diced cubes, as a creamy mousse with antipasti or as a stuffing for Bologna’s famous tortellini. So popular is the pink sausage that there now a food festival in Bologna entirely devoted to it: the MortadellaBò in mid-October.
Primo
Tortellini, delicate parcels of pasta filled with pork, ham, mortadella and Parmesan cheese, is a tasty Bolognese speciality served typically in brodo (fragrant chicken broth) or simply with butter and Parmesan. Ideally the pasta will be handmade − you get 20 to 30 percent less filling if it’s made with a machine. Other typical dishes are tortellini with ricotta and spinach and tagliatelle usually served with the true Bolognese sauce − and a far cry from what you get with ‘spag bol’. Ragù is also used in the ubiquitous lasagne, another authentic dish of Bologna. Look out too for regional pastas such as passatelli, cappelletti (‘little hats’) or the bigger version: cappellacci, filled with pumpkin and Parmesan, and anolini (‘rings’) stuffed with beef, parmesan and breadcrumbs, and served in chicken broth.
Tagliatelle tresses
Tagliatelle’s origins go back to the 1487 wedding feast of Lucrezia Borgia and the Duke of Ferrara. The chef chosen to produce the lavish banquet included a new type of pasta, shaped in long golden strips, to reflect the blond tresses of the bride.
Local mortadella for sale
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Secondi
Pork is the king of meats, served in variety of ways. Most menus will feature cotellata alla bolognese, a thin slice of pork (or veal cutlet) fried in breadcrumbs then baked with Parma ham and Parmesan cheese. Bollito misto (mixed boiled meats) is a stew of meats such as flank of beef, veal or ox tongue and Italian sausages, slowly simmered with celery, carrots and herbs and served with different sauces. Fritto misto alla bolognese is a mixed fry, varying from place to place but typically including potato croquettes, mozzarella, lamb, brains, zucchini, artichoke wedges, cauliflower florets and aubergine, all dipped in batter and deep fried. Some restaurants offer fresh fish but meat dominates the main courses. One of the best and most affordable places for fish and seafood is Banco 32 in the Mercato delle Erbe, next to the fishmonger. The seating is basic but the fish is brilliantly fresh, and there’s a buzzy atmosphere.
Dolci
Desserts range from a fruit salad or gelato to a choice of elaborate home-made desserts and cakes. Traditional desserts are zuppa inglese (the trifle-like ‘English soup’), tiramisu, the alcoholic chocolate and coffee gateau from the Veneto, and torta di riso, a cake of rice, sugar, almonds and milk. Don’t be surprised if you are offered gelato with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This should be the very superior Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. It tastes much sweeter than ordinary Balsamic vinegar and can also be used in salads, drizzled over fresh berries or sometimes with honey over Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Aceto Balsamico in its pricey artisanal version bears no resemblance to the industrial liquid often found in supermarkets.
Gelati
Greedy Bologna naturally excels at ice cream. As an alternative to a restaurant dessert you could do as many Bolognesi do and buy an ice cream from one of the superb gelaterie. The Bolognesi invariably disagree on which is best but firm favourites are Sorbetteria Castiglione, Via Castiglione 44 d/e, Gelateria Ugo, Via San Felice 24, Gelatauro, Via San Vitale 98 and Cremeria Cavour in Piazza Cavour.
Wines
The well-deserved reputation for good living in Emilia Romagna is based more on food than wine. Huge amounts are produced but the quantity outweighs the quality. Nevertheless the wines have improved dramatically over the last two or three decades. Gone are the days of cheap, sweet, sparkling Lambrusco − at least in Italy. There are now some decent quality DOC dry (or off-dry), frothy Lambruscos with a pleasant acidity which goes well with the rich regional food. The Romagna side of the region, stretching east from Bologna to the coast, produces Sangiovese reds and the rather ordinary Trebbiano whites. Sangiovese varies enormously, from thin and tart to smooth dry, ruby red and full of flavour − but like Lambrusco it has seen a dramatic improvement. The best, such as Romagna DOC, completes with Italy’s finest Sangiovese − and Sangiovese is Italy’s most widely planted vine variety. Pignoletto, from the hills around Bologna and served throughout the city, is a delicate affordable white which goes well with antipasti and seafood. The sparkling form is a very popular aperitivo.
Spag Bol?
It may seem surprising but one dish you won’t find in Bologna is spaghetti bolognese The ragù alla bolognese, which in its home town is a rich chunky blend of minced pork and beef, veg, wine, whole milk and tomato, is used to dress tagliatelle, never spaghetti.
Restaurants invariably offer wines from other regions, such as Barolo from Piedmont or Brunello from Tuscany, while gourmet restaurants will also list a smaller selection of international wines. House wine, vino della casa, is normally acceptable and always reasonably priced. In cheaper places it’s served in litre or half-litre carafes or jugs.