Gastronomy

GASTRONOMY IN BOLOGNA: FROM TORTELLINI TO THE BOLOGNESE CUTLET 

Among the excellences of the City of Bologna, it is impossible not to mention the abundance and variety of foods that the culinary offer of the area offers.

From the “lasagna alla bolognese” to “tagliatelle al ragù”, or “tortelli in brodo”, imperial soup, rice cakes and much more. The gastronomy of Bologna is known all over the world to such an extent that some of these excellences have become the symbol of the city.

Gastronomic history mixes with that of the university: in an encounter between cultures, both the recipes and the raw materials of the past have been enriched over time by teachers and students who have moved to Bologna from different countries and nations to attend the Alma Mater Studiorum.

The importance and historicity of the Bolognese culinary culture is also demonstrated by the vast presence of taverns in the area: already in 1300 there could be more than one hundred, thanks also to the abundance of raw materials coming both from the countryside and from the river Po, times navigable in a large part of its route.

BOLOGNESE FOOD AND SPECIALTIES 

 The typical products of Bologna are many and each one has its own story.

Lasagna alla Bolognese is one of the flagships of tradition: the addition of nettles or spinach inside the puff pastry gives it a green colour, a hallmark of its uniqueness.

The history of this dish comes down to us thanks to the "Cookbook" by Francesco Zambrini, published in 1863 in Bologna, in which he tells of this recipe made with layers of egg pasta, different from the one used up to then in Naples in which instead of being boiled it was leavened.

Among the typical dishes we cannot fail to mention the tortellini, egg pasta stuffed with meat, rigorously cooked in broth. Always the subject of territorial disputes, in 1974 the recipe for the official filling was filed with the Chamber of Commerce to preserve its originality. Tortellini is loved by tourists as much as by Emilians: it is the traditional Bolognese Christmas dish and to be authentic it must be really small. However, the imperial soup is very different, which owes its name to the rich and expensive ingredients used to make it, which in the past made it a dish only for wealthy people.
This recipe has also been deposited with the Chamber of Commerce, to maintain its originality, preserving the ancient tradition of this dish.

But the typical specialties are not limited to first courses only: the Bolognese
cutlet, also known as the Petroniana cutlet, is a very rich second course of the Emilian culture. Also famous is the Bolognese boiled meat and chicken galatina, born from the reinterpretation of a French recipe.

Finally with desserts, the Bolognese tradition boasts various types, including Bolognese rice cake, raviole with mostarda and Certosino.