"Fatty" Bologna is often referred to as the culinary capital of Italy. Indeed, the country's national cuisine owes its most delicious and famous attractions to Bologna.
Bolognese sauce, tagliatelle, the wonderful mortadella sausage, tortellini and balsamic vinegar. This is just a small sampling of Bologna's culinary achievements.
The city is home to the Italian Academy of Cuisine - L'Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
Bologna cuisine is homemade, simple and very hearty. On the menu of traditional Italian restaurants you'll always find pasta, great cheeses, a variety of sausages and excellent dishes with prosciutto. Note that the basis of all meat dishes is pork. Typical pasta is made with egg dough and has a bright yellow colour.
The history of Bologna's traditional dishes often goes back to the Middle Ages. Tagliatelle, for example, was first prepared for a feast in honour of Lucrezia Borgia. The chefs were inspired to create this particular type of pasta by the blond locks of the beauty. But the famous tortellini were made in the shape of the navel of Venus.
The city has been the culinary capital of Italy for centuries. Bologna's cuisine is known for its conservatism and adherence to tradition, a rarity in other Italian regions.
