The never-ending porticos in Bologna, one of Italy’s wealthiest regions, are a walker’s paradise. You can walk to shop, eat and experience. This is just one of the facets of Bologna, the capital of Emilia Romagna in North-Eastern Italy. Wafts of seafood dishes, clinking glasses, platters of charcuterie are one of the many moods of the province that also boasts of the oldest universities in the Western hemisphere. Compared to nearby cities like Tuscany, Florence and Milan, Bologna is far less frequented by tourists and gladly so. It is Italy’s best kept culinary secret.
In our part of the world, the ‘Bolognese’ pasta is the only link to Bologna, which also goes by the nickname ‘La Grosse’ or the fat one and it refers to the culinary landscape of the region. Here are some specialities from the region one should indulge in whilst there and some you could bring back home. Add these must-try dishes from the region to your food itinerary.
Tortelloni & Tortellini
Tortellini is stuffed pasta and the shape is believed to be a culinary ode to Venus’ navel. Tortelloni is a bigger version and typically the stuffing for both is pork, mortadella, prosciutto, parmesan etc. For vegetarians, ricotta-filled stuffing is an option. I loved the one tossed in Sage butter.
Mortadella
Pig is the last word in the Bolognese cuisine. This extra-large sausage is made from pork meat and is freckled with pork fat and often embellished with pistachios. The American Bologna sausage comes nowhere close in look and texture but is inspired by the Mortadella.
Prosciutto & Culatello
Both the hams are made in the neighbouring town of Parma and use the pig’s hind leg. The Prosciutto is sweet, salty and tender and is cured with salt on the bone. Culatello on the other hand is cured deboned and is air-dried for at least a year. The latter is much more intense in flavour, savoury and drier.
Bolognese
The ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ is perhaps the most renowned pasta preparation globally and when you come to Bologna, we figure the more classic handmade tagliatelle pasta in a ragu. The tagliatelle is ribbon-shaped pasta that should be 8mm in width when cooked; a beef-based classic sauce is poured over and finished with parmesan.
Parmigiano Reggiano
It is one of the finest cheeses in the world, popularly called the parmesan. It is a hard cheese made from cow’s milk and as per my conversation with a cheesemaker, it takes 14-16 litres of milk for a kilo of cheese. Do try the 30 or 40 months variants that give a nutty flavour and Umami.
Balsamic Vinegar
There is vinegar and then there is Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, a town close to Bologna. Aperitivo evenings in Bologna are replete with the vinegar as a dip for parmesan. Balsamic could be used for glazes, reductions, salad dressing and even cocktails these days. The more it is aged, the better the nuances. Else try the younger Gemma Nera from Toschi, a very thick and syrupy one with a sweet tang.
Lambrusco
The red semi-sparkling wine from Emilia Romagna with medium sweetness is the drink of the locals and it pairs perfectly with ragus and even the parmesan-balsamico as an aperitif. Indians would love this wine and Indian food would certainly find a match with this.
Raviole di San Giuseppe
Takes its name from the ravioli, this one is a stuffed half-moon shaped baked sweet. Made out of short-crust pastry and stuffed with plum jam, the Raviole can be had as a dessert dipped in wine or liqueur or as a tea time snack.
Friggione
A classic Bolognese dish, it is a soup, the recipe of which dates back to 1886. It contains white onions cooked with salt, sugar and tomatoes in a lard and had with either meat or polenta crostini. The vegetarian version is made with olive oil.
If you ask me the places to visit in a city, I may not be able to tell you much but I can certainly tell you what the city eats. If you are one of those whose itinerary has the gourmet scene on top then Bologna is a must-visit! And for those in the need of speed, did you know that Bologna is home to Lamborghini, Ferrari and Ducati?