First Time in Bologna: Food Rules and What You Need to Know

Listen up. Bologna is not Florence with fewer tourists. It is not a stopover on your way to somewhere more famous. It is the food capital of Italy, and if you eat badly here, that is entirely your fault. This is the city that gave the world Parmigiano-Reggiano, mortadella, and tortellini. The city where pasta is still rolled by hand every morning and where the ragu recipe is legally protected. You will eat better here than almost anywhere else in Italy, but only if you follow the rules.

Mortadella di Bologna is a specific product: pork shoulder and throat with lard cubes, pistachios, peppercorns, and spices, cased and cooked. The original is made in Bologna and has IGP certification. It is not baloney, it is not processed luncheon meat, it is not the pink American stuff. Sliced thin it melts on the tongue and tastes like silk with a hint of pistachio. The best way to eat it: in a rosetta (a bread roll), standing, from a Quadrilatero shop, EUR 2.50-3. Ask for a few slices of prosciutto alongside for comparison. The mortadella should be sliced so thin it is almost transparent.

Bologna is 45 minutes from Parma and the Parmigiano-Reggiano consortiums are in the surrounding countryside. In the Quadrilatero shops you can taste 24-month (younger, creamier, better for cooking) vs 36-month (older, harder, more crystalline and savory, better for eating). Ask to taste both. The aged versions (48-month and older) are available at the better shops and have these amazing crunchy crystals that pop on your tongue. EUR 3-5 for a tasting portion. A 200g wedge to take home EUR 8-15 depending on age. Do not buy the pre-grated stuff in plastic containers.

Lambrusco is the local wine and it is not what you think. The Lambrusco exported in quantity is thin, sweet, and mediocre. The Lambrusco from the village appellations (Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce) is a different wine entirely: structured, slightly sparkling, dry or off-dry, deep ruby, with the acidity to cut through the fat in the food. It fizzes gently on your tongue and makes your mouth water for more pasta. A glass of good Lambrusco with tagliatelle al ragu is one of the best pairings in Italian food. EUR 4-6 a glass at a good enoteca.

The 40 km of porticoes are not just a tourist feature: they are how Bolognesi eat and drink outside. In rain, in sun, at any hour, the tables under the porticoes on Via dell'Indipendenza, Via Rizzoli, Via Ugo Bassi, and around Piazza Maggiore are occupied. You hear the scrape of forks on plates, the pop of Lambrusco corks, conversations in dialect that sound like music. The best lunch in Bologna is often at a trattoria table under a portico with a half-litre of Lambrusco and a plate of tagliatelle, watching the city walk by. EUR 15-20 for pasta and wine.