Bologna is always known as being the food capital of Italy.
Located in the Emilia-Romagna region, it is close to Parma (home to Parma ham and Parmesan cheese) as well as Modena (producer of some of the best balsamic vinegar) and is famous for its Mortadella sausage and ragu meat sauce (often referred to as Bolognese sauce).
So, of course, when I was there, I had to try out some of the local and regional specialities and slip into my stretchy pants.
Here’s some of the stops I made on my own self-created Bologna food tour.
Gelato / Ice Cream
Luckily for us, one of the best ice cream shops in Bologna was around the corner form our B&B – Sorbetteria Castiglione. Now, although their sign says that what they serve is gelato, the owner of our B&B was vehement in his statement that this was in fact ice cream, not gelato – apparently there’s a difference in the amount of air that is added to the mixture during creation. Either way, this was damn good ice cream/gelato/ice cold deliciousness. We actually went here twice, simply because the ice cream was so creamy and the flavours so good. The above photo shows the pistachio and Gianduja flavours – the Gianduja even had chunks of hazelnut in it and was absolutely divine.
Tagliatelle al Ragù di Prosciutto
This ragu, unlike the normal meat sauce we associate with Bolognese cooking, was made with delicious smoked ham, giving it a lovely, deeper, more smoky flavour than your typical ragu sauce. This was just a primi (starter) portion of pasta at Trattoria Del Rosso, somewhere we visited on the recommendation of a local and I have been dreaming of the meal I had there ever since.
Pizza
Everyone knows that the home of good pizza in Italy is Napoli, but I just can’t resist pizza anywhere I am, particularly not when I’m in Italy and all of the toppings and ingredients are so fresh. Luckily, there are many interpretations of good Napoli-style pizza in Bologna. The owner of our B&B owner recommended Regina Margherita as a good place to go, and we weren’t disappointed.
After a starter of a huge (and I mean huge) fresh ball of buffalo mozzarella with salad (the creamiest, freshest tasting mozzarella I’ve ever had) we opted for pizza; the above topped with mushrooms, smoked ham, artichokes and olives. We ordered a pizza each and it was actually too much to eat (especially after devouring the bowling ball of mozzarella and some of the fresh bread!).
Tortelloni di Zucca
This tortelloni pasta dish is also a speciality of the Bologna region. Filled with pumpkin and cooked in a light butter sauce and topped with fresh sage, I tried this dish at the Trattoria Del Biassanot. Unfortunately I was really hyped to try this dish as I had heard so much about it and the different variations in the way it can be filled (sometimes with crushed amaretti biscuits and a fruit mustard) yet this one was simply filled with fresh pumpkin. It was still creamy and melted in the mouth, but somehow I was expecting something more. I guess that’s what you get for building something up too much.
Piadina
These Italian-style flatbreads remind me a lot of Mexican tortillas and are often eaten as a lunchtime snack-type sandwich. This one is filled with prosciutto, fontina cheese and a spicy sauce.You can also find sweet versions of these in the city, sometimes filled with nutella or fruits.
Leave a Reply