Bologna and Beyond
I grew up eating spaghetti Bolognese almost once every week when I was a child. And to be fair I still cook it often and love it. So, when presented with an opportunity to try the real thing, in the place this modest dish is named after, I jumped at the chance to start our Italian food tour here.
Bologna is at the nexus of the Tuscan regions that produce the best prosciutto, parmigiano reggiano and balsamic vinegars. It really is the spiritual home of Italian food.
Bolognas a university town. It’s a charming little city, famous also for its porticoed walk ways…62 kms of them! They say only mad dogs and English men go out in the midday sun…So as it was a good 35’C when we left the train station for a short 20-minute walk to our hotel in the Centro city. We were very grateful of these beautiful porticos which have provided locals, and today ourselves, with protection from the heat and rain since the middle ages.
Now it was time to plan our evening and the next day. Time for an Aperol spritz or simply “Spritz” as the locals call it. We tried to wait for the heat to dissipate and headed out at about 8pm. We spent a very hot and hectic evening in an enoteca (wine bar) in the Quadrilatero surrounded by ebullient Italians feasting on olives, mortadella and pecorino, talking fast and enjoying the weekend.
Spritz!
The Quadrilatero is the tightly packed lanes of the old market of Bologna. The name is derived from the defensive system or fortress and harks back to the middle ages where this was the site of the major craft and merchant guilds – think painters, barbers, restaurants, bars, fishmongers, butchers and cheese mongers. The place hasn’t changed much.
We planned to head out early to the two markets. Mercato di Mezzo and Mercato delle Erbe the next morning to meet with fellow artisan producers and learn about their food.
We talked to a lot of these artisans learning the difference between soft, hard, sweet and sour salamis through to the making of formaggio de fossa cheese – cheese placed in an airless pit for 30 days, which allows it to develop a range of earthy flavours.
By lunch we needed a sit down and came across Al Chiosco de Morena and Michaele. He runs the Bologna edition of the famous kiosk in Ancona selling fish ready to eat. The fish comes daily from Ancona a nearby fishing port and is transformed into delicious appetizers like octopus salad, fried sardines and baccala Livernese-salted cod mashed in extra virgin oil and potatoes until smooth, light and fluffy. The shop has been a family business which started back in Ancona in 1920. We sampled the above delights with a chilled pignoletto, the local and very delicious white wine that’s only grown around this part of Tuscany. I would say it’s a lot finer wine than a prosecco.
Chiosco temptations
We had cheese production and balsamic vinegar on our list so after another great night in the famous local, Osteria dell Orsa – shared bench seating, simple menu and basic but utterly delicious food. We had drinks on the way home with the cool university crowd under a portico on a dimly lit side street under a portico that vibed to a Italian funky jazz beat.
Not everything goes to plan and after way too much red wine we didn’t get to the cheese factory…Something for next time but we did tour and see Balsamic production. I really didn’t know much about it to be honest. Heat grape must (juice) till it caramelizes and then store carefully for 25 years! Each day the must evaporates a little more concentrating the flavour. I’m simplifying but after trying a few small organic producers’ product we went to the world famous Guiseppe Giusti tasting room.
World famous balsamic
There is something special about products that take time to make and balsamic no exception. It was also very good to learn more about what grade of balsamic to pair with what foods. Rashly we spent $75 on a small bottle of one of the best balsamics. Luggage issues pending!
Next we headed to Florence which was just a short train ride away. Gotta say the tourists there did my head in. We spent a few more days meeting more artisan producers and exploring the markets in Florence, but there was a different vibe. Way more touristy and less artisan producers in the market. There was however, plenty of great food to be had.
Tripe for lunch.
Everyone knows Italy has a big food tradition but talking to small producers about how and where they sell, seeing the marketing of high-end food products and the absolute dedication to quality, has been supremely informative.
