The Quadrilatero and tortellini
The medieval market and Bolognese cuisine
Just east of Piazza Maggiore, the Quadrilatero is the old market district of Bologna, a maze of narrow medieval streets whose names recall the ancient trades: Via Pescherie Vecchie, the old fish market, Via Drapperie, the street of cloth merchants, Via Clavature, the street of locksmiths, and Via degli Orefici, of goldsmiths. Here, since the Middle Ages, food has been sold, and still today the streets are lined with historic shops of fresh pasta, butchers, delicatessens with hanging hams and mortadellas, fishmongers, greengrocers and osterie, with tables on the street. Nearby, the Mercato di Mezzo, a covered market, offers street food and local specialities.
Bologna is the capital of one of the richest cuisines in Italy. The tortellini, small rings of egg pasta filled with pork loin, prosciutto, mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano and nutmeg, are traditionally served in capon broth; according to legend, their shape was inspired by the navel of Venus. Their official recipe was deposited in 1974 at the Chamber of Commerce by the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino. Then there are the tagliatelle al ragù, the true "Bolognese sauce", a slowly cooked sauce of minced meat, pancetta, vegetables, tomato and milk, never served with spaghetti; the lasagne verdi, with spinach pasta, and the mortadella, called simply "Bologna" all over the world. In some shops, such as in Via Clavature, you can watch the "sfogline" rolling out the pasta by hand.
Tip: for a full experience, take a pasta-making class with a sfoglina; the Quadrilatero is busiest at aperitif time.
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