Bologna for Food Lovers

To experience this richness, head to the old medieval market and food shopping area known as Il Quadrilatero, whose tiny cobblestone streets are framed within a quadrilateral area by Piazza Maggiore (Bologna's main square), via Rizzoli, via Castiglione and via Farini. The market has occupied the same area in the city center since Roman times. The little streets within the Quadrilatero take their names from the shops and corporations that used to be based there: via Pescherie is where the fishmongers concentrated, via Orefici housed the goldsmiths, via Caprarie was home to the butchers selling sheep and goat meat, via Drapperie was for the upholsterers, and so on.

Bologna is no doubt synonymous with tortellini! The recipe for authentic tortellini, kept inside Palazzo della Mercanzia near the Quadrilatero, contains the following ingredients: flour and eggs for the dough, pork loin, raw ham, mortadella from Bologna, Parmesan cheese, eggs and nutmeg for the filling. One of Bologna’s emblematic figures, the sfogline, are the keepers of the city’s important tradition of hand-made pasta. Where: Tamburini, via Caprarie 1 – an institution in Bologna since the 1930s, it is still managed by the same family that gives the shop its name. It sells an array of Bologna’s specialties; it is particularly renowned for tortellini and mortadella. They also have a self-service area; stop for lunch and try the famous tortellini al ragù. Atti, two locations, via Caprarie 7 and via Drapperie 6 – This pasta shop and bakery was opened in 1880 and is still owned by the same family. The store still has the original furniture. A nice idea for a souvenir or a gift is to b

One of the essential ingredients of tortellini is mortadella, another great culinary delicacy hailing from Bologna, dating back to Roman times. Proof of this is an ancient stele on display inside Bologna’s Museo Civico Archeologico depicting a butcher using a mortar, the tool employed to crush together the meat and spices needed to prepare mortadella. Where: Salumificio Simoni, via Drapperie 5/2a – it sells artisan mortadella and all other local cold cuts. It also sells Parmigiano Reggiano.

Another typical Bolognese hand-made pasta. Bologna’s Chamber of Commerce, located inside Palazzo della Mercanzia near the Quadrilatero, guards the recipe of tagliatelle, along with its measurement rules: tagliatelle should be 8 millimeters wide when cooked. Where: Dante Zanetti, via Pescherie Vecchie 6/b – a small bakery selling all types of Bologna hand-made pasta, as well as bread and Bologna’s typical sweets like raviole and torta di riso.

And what goes best with tagliatelle if not ragù bolognese? The official recipe also rests with Bologna’s Chamber of Commerce since 1982, but with ragù there is a lot of leeway. If you ask Bolognese women, you will find there are many individual variations, and they seem to be very secretive about them too. Where: If you can't get invited at the home of a Bolognese mom or grandma, get a jar at historic Gilberto, located in via Drapperie 5 since 1905. This grocery store also sells Italian wines, sweets, jams, coffee, honey and balsamic vinegar.