What is a ‘Foodie’? Someone who is particular about food and will only eat the finest things from the best places? Or someone who just loves food? Who eats for the simple joy it brings. Someone who lives to eat.
If it’s the latter then I’m a definite foodie! As my friends will testify, I love food. So do they actually, which is why we’re friends! If you’re not really that bothered about food then this particular post is not for you…keep on scrolling.
One of the worst things about Cancer treatment was having to avoid certain foods and not being able to fully enjoy the taste due to the chemotherapy playing havoc with your taste buds. Good job I now live in Italy to make up for it!
Not just any part of Italy though, we’re in the gastronomic region of the country. Ferrara is in the Po valley, a flat agricultural area sandwiched between the Alps to the North, the Apennines to the South and the Adriatic Sea to the East. For those that are familiar with the Lincolnshire Fens, there are definite resemblances! But the landscape is dotted with ancient little villages and towns, bathed in sunlight or shrouded in fog making it look either beautiful or mystical. Not something you get in Wainfleet or Kirton! (If you’re not aware of those places keep it that way!)
So to say I was excited about the food is an understatement. The fact that I’ve put on a stone and a half during cancer treatment isn’t going to stop me tucking in! I’ll just have to try and move a bit more. Well that’s how I’m justifying it to myself anyway!
I’ve been here only a week so far and I already feel like I’ve eaten and drank so many amazing things! So this is what I’ve learnt in the last few days, from one foodie to another I feel the need to share it with you.
The highlight of the last week has been the food tour we did in Bologna. Bologna is known by three nicknames, one of which translates to ‘the fat.’ A name deservedly earned as this city has so many gastronomic delights to offer. We met Paolo, our guide, at the Mercato delle Erbe, a fresh produce market frequented by locals. As well as the fresh fruit and vegetable stalls there were fishmongers (where you can choose a piece of fish and they’ll cook it in the restaurant next door), wine sellers, butchers and many other local suppliers. All of which were surrounded by little on-the-go restaurants and kiosks which was where our first stop was. The place is called Sfarina and specialises in piadinas. If you’ve not had one before it’s a wonderful mix of a tortilla wrap and panini. The one we had contained 18 month aged prosciutto di Parma, squacquerone di Romagna (a type of soft cheese) and rocket. It was delicious! We didn’t have far to go to our next stop which was just a few doors up and specialised in tortellini. One of Bologna’s signature dishes is tortelloni and tortellini. The latter is a much smaller version of the former. So tortelloni is the type you see in the fresh pasta aisle in the supermarkets back home, but here they also do a smaller version. This is normally served in broth rather than a sauce or in some cases fried. That was our next taste sensation. Fried tortellini drizzled with a creamy parmesan sauce, it was divine!
After tasting some fresh fruit from the colourful market stalls we left the market and Paolo showed us a tiny little shop tucked down the alleyway behind. It’s called Le Sfogline and all they do is make fresh pasta. It’s all handmade by ladies who have mastered the skill over the years, due to it being quite demanding the younger generation aren’t interested so it’s up to the matriarchs to produce this wonderful local delicacy which is said to originally have been created to represent the naval of Venus. Thus landing these wonderful ladies with the title of ‘Tortellini Queens.’ They make approximately 18,000 tortellini a day (!) all by hand (even grinding the pork for the filling), using the highest quality ingredients. That’s why there’s a queue out the door!
We were then taken on a little stroll across the Piazza Maggiore and told some fascinating facts about Bologna and it’s architecture. One of which was the whispering walls of Palazzo Podesta. If you head under the four cornered archway under the palace’s large tower, stand in one corner facing the wall, send your friend to the diagonal corner and start talking, you will hear each other clear as day over the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s amazing! Legend has it, it allowed the lepers to confess their sins. Quite apt with the Corona virus doing the rounds! (Talking of which, I’ve had quite a few messages asking if I’m ok. All is fine! Apart from the schools being closed and the odd tourist attraction there’s no sign that anything is amiss here! Bologna was bustling with locals as normal so they’re obviously not too bothered about it.)
Our next stops were down the narrow Via Peschierie Vecchie and Via Drapperie right in the heart of the city. Here we went to a couple of delis to buy some mortadella (a local salami made from finely ground pork speckled with cubes of fat), parmigiano reggiano (the locally produced cheese known to us untrained Brits as parmesan) and some crescenta bread (a local bread eaten with cuts of meats and cheeses made using pork fat…..yep there’s a theme developing here!) We then took it all to Osteria del Sole, an unassuming, tucked away wine bar which only sells wine and beer. The deal is you take your own meats, breads and cheeses buy some local vino rosso frizzante (fizzy red wine or lumbrusco as it’s also known) and grab a spare table if there is one! It was absolutely rammed with locals enjoying their Saturday lunchtime. The walls are adorned with a collection of random memorabilia which has obviously been added to over the years since it began in 1465! Making it the oldest bar in Bologna. What a cool place!
After polishing off the wine and devouring the picnic we just about had room for something sweet and Paolo took us down Via Caprarie to a wonderful wood panelled shop called Paolo Atti e Figli, where they sold the inevitable fresh pasta, breads and meats but also mouth watering sweet treats. We sampled some Torta degli Addobbi, which is an unctuous rice cake dating back to the 1700’s and is made from aborio rice, eggs, sugar, almonds and lemon. It was so good I forgot to take a photo! Oh dear, I’ll just have to go back!
The final stop was a cafe bar where the delicious culinary tour was topped off with a wonderful espresso. No discerning Italian has a milky coffee after lunch so it’s espressos all the way.
We definitely learnt a lot, ate a lot and really thoroughly enjoyed it. So if you’re ever in Bologna or fancy a trip, look up Paolo on ‘With Locals’, you won’t be disappointed…….now what’s for lunch, writing this has made me peckish!
Brand New Day 