Emilia Romagna is one the greatest food regions in Italy because it's subdivided into provinces that are famous for specialty food items like balsamic vinegar, parmesan, prosciutto, and mortadella. It all makes sense once you realize that geographical locations make up many of the Italian foods.
The best balsamic vinegar you will ever try is the kind aged for twenty, thirty, or even fifty years which comes from Modena. It's so sweet and syrupy that you really should sip it from a cup. The aging process happens in barrels like mulberry, chestnut, or oak. As the fermented grape must from Trebbiano, Ancilotta, Lambrusco, or Sauvignon grapes, reduce it gets transported to smaller barrels that are stored in temperature controlled rooms. Parmmigiano Reggiano comes from Parma (of course), and must be two years old in order for anyone to dare and grate it on any Tortellini alla Bolognese like the one I had in Bologna.
Proscuitto di Parma is so creamy and salty. Proscuitto- leg of the pig- is salted and aged with a paste made with lard and flour for about twelve months. It's common to serve cured meats like Prosciutto di Parma or mortadella with gnocco fritto. This fried dough is cut into rectangles, dropped in the deep fryer to puff a hollow golden brown pillow. They are crunchy and soft which complete the antipasti course of any party.
Yes, mortadella from Bologna is the only place you know it will be at its best. Many ingredients and products from Italy are labeled DOP or IGT (notice the sign on the storefront) meaning that food items are either to be made a certain way in a specific region and no other region (DOP) or they are to be made a specific way and can be made anywhere (IGT). Mortadella di Bologna is an IGT product.
I never ever liked the thought of eating what looked like pink rubber with pistachios growing up, nor would my mother buy it. I take it all back now because it's so delicious especially on focaccia with squacquerone cheese; a spreadable, creamy and mild cheese that looks almost like stracciatella. No condiments unless specified, but usually just EVOO. Tortellini are also very popular in Bologna and usually filled with raw meat and cooked in poultry or meat broth or served with Bolognese sauce like how I had it at Cafe del Mercato. There are so many crevices and alleyways throughout Bologna and I came across one that was packed with tables full of charcuterie boards, lasagna, and tortellini bolognese. I had to stop and eat, it felt right.
