The typical dishes of Bologna
Also known as the fat city or the city of food, the bond of Bologna with cuisine is so close that, in the world, the image of the city itself overlaps with its most famous specialty - what in Italy we know as mortadella, but that in the world is known simply as Bologna. Here, the act of eating is almost sacred, to the point that an entire district of the historic city is dedicated to its gastronomic culture: the Quadrilatero market of Bologna is the mecca of Bolognese food, a network of streets dotted with shops, osterias, bars, restaurants and open-air markets that smell of meat sauce, fresh bread, cold cuts. They call it the fat for a reason: Bolognese recipes - especially meat-based - are renowned for being tasty, but also very caloric. Yet, in front of a plate of tagliatelle, we don’t care about diet. But what are these typical dishes of Bologna?
The mortadella (or Bologna)
Simple in its traditional flavor or embellished with peppercorns or pistachio, mortadella is the queen of Bologna. It’s a cooked pork sausage, which has its origins in Roman times and that in the world has literally taken the name of the city to which it’s linked. Mortadella, with its characteristic pink color, can be served in slices, used as a filling for pasta or as an ingredient for more elaborate recipes, including the Petronian stick (a fried skewer of meat and cheese) or the mortadella foam.
Bolognese sauce (ragù)
Now an institution in the world, the recipe of Bolognese sauce, or ragù, seems simple, but its preparation is quite complex and above all - to ensure the best possible result - long. The meat is stir-fried, minced (or otherwise cut into pieces) and left to cook for hours over low heat, with or without the addition of tomato. Despite its roots in France (the word in fact comes from the French ragouter, or awaken the appetite) the Bolognese sauce has become one of the keystones of Italian cuisine. In Bologna it goes in pairs with tagliatelle, the typical egg pasta.
Fresh pasta
Bologna loves carbs, and is a master in the art of pasta. Tagliatelle are a type of egg pasta that, in other areas of Italy, is known in its variations with the name of fettuccine, tagliolini or pappardelle. In fact, the Bolognese tagliatella observes rather strict rules, expressed in an official recipe and measure which is preserved in the Chamber of Commerce of the city.
Another Bolognese specialty is tortellino, a recipe with an uncertain origin (and historically disputed with Modena) but equally preserved at the Chamber of Commerce. The Bolognese tortellini include a filling of pork, ham, mortadella and Parmesan and should be served strictly in beef broth, capon or chicken - even if some variations (little tolerated in the city) want them served with meat sauce, Parmesan cheese or cream. Other typical pastas of Bologna are gramigna, short pasta usually topped with sausage ragù, balanzone, egg and spinach pasta stuffed with mortadella, and lasagna, a pastry with meat sauce, béchamel and cheese.
Bolognese cutlet
Conceived as a variation of the classic Milanese elephant’s ear, the Bolognese cutlet (also called petroniana) is a veal that’s breaded, fried, covered with ham, sprinkled with Parmesan, moistened in broth and baked (where the cheese melts until it becomes a fondue). Some enrich it with a sprinkling of white truffle from the hills of Bologna. The steps are many, but it’s worth it.
The wine and the desserts
Bologna likes to eat but also likes to drink, a tradition of Bolognese trattorias and osterias where courses are necessarily accompanied with white wine - Pignoletto or Albana - or red, such as Sangiovese or Lambrusco. The meal ends with rice cake, the Carthusian cake (made with candied fruit), or the pinza and the Bolognese raviole, sweet pastries stuffed with mustard.
The typical dishes of Emilia
The passion for cooking extends to the entire region. Emilia is not only the Motor Valley: the association with Ferrari is inevitable, but there’s more to engines, like a gastronomic itinerary that crosses Modena, Parma and Reggio Emilia, made of recipes that remind and inspire those of Bologna.
The world knows Modena as the land of chef Massimo Bottura. However, the city is also linked to tigella (an institution in Bologna as well), a scone to be stuffed as you like - even if Modena prefers lard - and balsamic vinegar. Parma is the kingdom of Parma ham, Parmigiano Reggiano and gnocco fritto (which in Bologna is known as crescentina and consists of a dough fried in lard), while Reggio Emilia is the home of erbazzone, a focaccia stuffed with herbs. Establishing the area of these typical dishes is almost a formality because, as in the case of tortellini, it’s often difficult to trace their origin: the contaminations between the respective traditions and recipes are so deeply rooted in the territory that in each of these cities you can easily find the specialties of the others.
Do you want to discover the best of Italy? Best Italy Tour organizes group tours, private tours, packages, guided tours and cultural tours through the main Italian attractions. What will be your destination? Let’s find it together!
