Food and Wine
Legend has it that tortellini were invented by an innkeeper who, after dreaming about Venus, tried to re-create the beauty of her navel and ended up with this world-famous shape of pasta, stuffed with several kinds of minced meat, eggs, nutmeg and parmigiano.
Maybe it's just a fancy story, but all the same, tortellini served in broth is one of the main specialities of Bologna, as is IGP Mortadella di Bologna (also known elsewhere as Bologna or baloney).
Local hand-made tortellini are entirely different from the export product, so don't waste an opportunity to taste the real thing.
After all, Bologna is called "La Grassa" (The Fat), not because its cuisine is especially heavy, but because the Bolognese love to live it up and enjoy the pleasures of life – and of the table.
The list is long: first of all, hand-rolled pasta, like tagliatelle al ragù, universally (and very poorly) imitated under the name of Spaghetti Bolognese.
Then, fresh meat from local certifi ed breeds like IGP vitellone bianco dell'Appennino Centrale, and cured meats and salami, ranging from DOP Mortadella to small salamini or DOP cacciatora, and cheeses like DOP Parmigiano Reggiano and DOP Grana Padano.
The country around Bologna is one of the most generous lands in Italy, and the skill of its farmers has led to several certifi cations – IGP chestnuts from Castel Rio, IGP shallots from Romagna, IGP green asparagus from Altedo and DOP potatoes from Bologna.
The hills around Bologna and the neighbouring town of Imola ("Colli Bolognesi" and "Colli di Imola") are Doc wine-making areas, with a production topped by Pignoletto and Trebbiano whites.
