Getting bloated in Bologna

Emilia Romagna is perfectly located between river Po in the north and the Apennines mountains in the south. The fertile flood plains of the longest river in Italy together with the micro climate created by the winds in the valley contribute to the wonderful regional food.

It feels like each town in Emilia Romagna has its own proud item on the menu. The prosciutto of Parma, balsamic vinegar of Modena, cappellacci di zucca of Ferrara, and of course the arguably best cheese in the world, Parmigiano Reggiano.

We stopped earlier for lunch at a restaurant in Marradi, a small village in the Apennine mountains, where the owner introduced us to the old grandmother in the kitchen who created magic on the plates and would not let us leave before we tried her dessert specialty.

Piazza Maggiore is the beating heart of the city.

Today I am in Bologna, sometimes referred to as the food capital of Italy. It’s a youthful city thanks to the university, claimed to be the oldest of its kind in the world. The hearts of the locals vote with a color as red as the bricks holding the city together.

As expected, Bologna is proud to be the home of several tasty delicacies, such as mortadella, tortellini and ragu alla Bolognese. Why choose? I order all of it.

Wonderful dinner in the hills south of Bologna.

The Italian cuisine is world famous for several reasons. It’s of course tasty and beautiful with a focus on amazing ingredients in season, but there is another side to it. Food in Italy is also infamously conservative. There can be a bitter feud between neighboring villages whether a certain recipe should include pancetta or not.

Abundance of produce in the alleys of Bologna.

But the funny thing is that Italian cuisine is arguably not as traditional as the Italians would have it. One of the most vital Italian ingredients is the tomato, but it was actually not introduced until the 15th century, as it was brought back from the Americas. The pomo d’oro (golden apple) quickly became a permanent fixture in Italian cuisine.

Love on a plate in Marradi.

Even something so synonymous to Italian food as spaghetti was supposedly brought to Sicily by the Arabs in the 12th century, and it didn’t spread to northern Italy until a hundred years ago. Just don’t mention it to the chef or he might add gorgonzola to your cacio e pepe.

“When somebody’s offering you food, they’re telling you a story. They’re telling you what they like, who they are. Presumably, it’s a proud reflection of their culture, their history, often a very tough history. You turn your nose up at that important moment, the whole relationship changes, and it will never be the same.”
— Anthony Bourdain