Nothing against Rome or Venice. They are true world cities — but that can actually work against them. With truckloads of tourists sloshing through around the clock, the cities have had to learn to cater to just about anyone at any time, meaning that the food isn’t exactly native, but a watered-down/sugared-up hybrid of “Italy + What We Think You’d Like.”
Which is a sin to do to Italian cuisine. If you have a hankering for eating like the Romans do, you may actually want to avoid Rome. Enter Bologna.
So let’s start with the basics: It is pronounced “boh-LOH-nya.” Call it “Baloney” and I’m going to smack you one. Set in Italy’s northern region of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna is so famous for its culinary scene that it is called the “City of Food.”
Like any Italian city, Bologna has a few native dishes, some of which you have probably heard, a biggie being tortellini. However, if you have a Bolognese chef prepare it, you will never look at “Barilla” again. The city’s take on the staple, tortellini in brudo, comes in hand-made, marble-sized nuggets stuffed with pork loin, mortadella, ham, and Parmigiano cheese and boiled in a chicken broth. Eateries like Al Montegrappa da Nello and Battibecco serve it up right, no touristy-ness baked in.
You could call that the main course. A good side is Fritto Misto al Bolognese, a seasonal sort of stir-fry grab-bag made with anything from lamb ribs to apples (waste not, want not). It’s a mouthful — no pun intended, really — but a restaurant called Al Voltone – La Torinese 1888 specializes in the stuff.
On to dessert. I know it may be gauche to talk of Christmas this early, but Bologna has a dish made especially for the season that is worth a mention: Certosino di Bologna. It would be easy to call it a fruit-cake (not “fruitcake”), but it actually looks more like a very large soft cookie or particularly thick pancake. You have a single layer of chocolate-cinnamon cake brushed with honey, stuffed with pine nuts, and topped by an Eden’s-worth of candied fruit. Hunt around and you can find it year-round, but bakers put more oomph into it come the holidays.
Now, far be it to think Bologna is a one-note town, however delicious. You can walk off all sorts of food comas in the city. The Piazza Maggiore is the main square and heart of the ancient old town (the city goes back to at least the Etruscans), and the whole community is overlooked by two medieval-age leaning towers, the Due Torri, in the Piazza de Porta. Just look up. Can’t miss ‘em. Unless you are looking at your plate.
For more info, go to bolognawelcome.com/en, #Bologna, or #CityofFood. Contact Steele Luxury Travel to assist with the planning of your Italian Vacation at https://steeletravel.com