Slow Food and Fast …Bologna
Bologna, Modena, Parma- these three cities are the holy trinity in Italy’s gastronomic heaven! Lined up, from east to west, in the rich Emilia-Romagna province, you’ll find them situated between Lombardy (Milan) to the north and Tuscany (Florence) to the south. This trio are a “must” on every food lover’s wish list. So where else to go with my friends Sharon and Bruce, the most dedicated foodies I know?
Together we spent a weekend eating our way through the region’s treats. First stop - Bologna! Just after the time most Italians were finishing morning cappuccino, we embarked on a winding, walking tour through this ancient city. Graffiti everywhere reminded us this is a young people’s city, where students attend the world’s oldest university - in constant operation since 1008!
Bologna has intrigued me for years. In the 1990’s Rita and Joe (parents of my best friend Marianne) moved here for Rita’s job with American University. More recently, parents of my colleague Mike made Bologna their part- time home. I was ready to be immersed in the food, the culture and history of this storied city.
We met Valeria, our guide, in the shadow of the giant statue which dominates the Piazza del Nettuno (Neptune). She shared an amusing insider’s view of how the statue’s architect cleverly defied Pope Pius IV. The Pope, who commissioned the work in 1563 to represent God’s - and his- dominance over the people, demanded the focus be on Neptune’s strength above his waist, not below it. But, from a point at the rear of the statue, Neptune’s pose asserts his virility! I’m amused by how artists have always found ways to make a statement! By the way, Neptune’s trident also inspired the company logo for Maserati, just one of the region’s makers of luxury fast cars, which was born in Bologna!
Neptune, represents a powerful God, ruling the world while calming the seas with his left hand. From the rear that hand adds another element to the sculpture - an erection!
But back to the food! Valeria had arranged four stops for our little group. We started with warm tigelle, a popular apertivo snack. Made with a type of griddle, each crispy top was imprinted with a pretty design. The ones we sampled were soft and creamy on the inside thanks to rosemary flavored lardo. (I just didn’t think about what lardo was.)
Tigelle -described as a cross between a pancake and an English muffin, filled with something savory. I'd just describe them as delicious!
We followed our guide’s little orange flag as she wound through narrow medieval streets. Every so often she dashed into a shop to collect the makings of an antipasti picnic. With her shopping complete she led us into an unassuming osteria where she spread out a feast on the rough wooden table.
“A true osteria,” she explained, “ is a neighborhood place that serves only wine. People gather there and share food they bring along.” It’s sort of like an indoor picnic area where you get to drink local wine. And so we picnicked too. We passed around paper wrapped treasures of ham, salami, cheese and focacia and sampled sparkling red Lambrusco, the region’s classic wine, and a lighter sparkling white.
From the osteria we headed to lunch. It was a good thing this was a walking tour, offering time and a little exercise between courses!
Tortellini is Bolgna’s signature pasta! Typically filled with a minced pork mix, it is served in a clear, richly flavored broth. At LeMoline Osteria (not an osteria in the traditional sense) we got to taste the real thing in a bowl served alongside Bologna’s other famous dish, ragu topped tagliatelle. The ragu was unlike the tomato heavy meat sauce that bears the same name at many US Italian restaurants. Here ragu is a fine, savory mix of ground pork and/or beef, celery and carrots, maybe a bit of onion and tomato paste thinned wih a splash of milk or white wine.
How can you top off such a delicious lunch? With gelato, of course. At Majori, Valeria’s favorite gelataria, I had a small cup of deep dark chocolate fondente paired with a flavor previously unfamiliar to me and now a favorite- Sapori di Sicilia. This “flavors of Sicily” included pistachio and almonds with orange in a creamy vanilla base. Pefect!
