Italy in general is great for food, but food in Bologna is truly special. The area is home to some of the most revered food products in the world, as well as homey classics. These are the food experiences you can’t miss!

If you’re a regular here, you may remember me mentioning our trip to Bologna last year when I shared my prosciutto salad with peach and mozzarella. I’ll admit it was more by chance than design that we went, but it really is such a dream place to visit if you like food (which, funny enough, I do).

I figured it was about time I shared some of our top Bologna food experiences!

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• Recipes: Butterflied lamb with herby lemon
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BOLOGNA: ITALY’S FOODIE HEARTLAND

Italy is, of course, a country where food is central to daily life. After all, they gave us pasta, pizza and gelato amongst many other things. Nowhere is that more true than in Emilia-Romagna, the region that Bologna is part of.

It’s the old heartland of traditional Italian cooking and is often the region people think of, even if not consciously, when they talk of traditional Italian cooking.

You might not know the name, but you will definitely know some of it’s iconic exports:

First rule when you order Bolognese in Bologna: don’t ask for spaghetti Bolognese. Serving the classic meat sauce with spaghetti is not how they do it here. Traditionally, ragù alla Bolognese is served with tagliatelle or other wide, long pasta like fettuccini and pappardelle.

The other thing is the flavor of a well made ragù is probably nothing like you might be familiar with. The traditional sauce has only a little tomato in the sauce and includes some wine, pancetta and milk. It’s simmered for a long time to thicken the sauce and mingle all the flavors. You’ll find it all over the city, so you’ll definitely be able to experience it at least once.