Bologna the fat
Emilia-Romagna is lauded throughout Italy for being the country's gastronomic capital. Pellegrino Artusi, considered the father of modern Italian cuisine, came from the Romagnan town of Forlimpopoli. The city of Bologna has been tagged "la Grassa" (the Fat) for its abundance of culinary specialties. Fresh pasta, delicious cured meats and crumbly Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese appear in some form at almost every meal. Homemade pastas range from simple tagliatelle with a meaty ragù bolognese, to béchamel-laden lasagna made with green noodles, to small disk-like anolini served in broth, a specialty of Parma. Many of Italy's prosciuttos, salamis and other pork products are cured in towns scattered over the region. Tender, salty prosciutto di Parma is made in Langhirano, while Zibello produces a cured pork called culatello. Coppa (also called cappocollo) comes from Piacenza while Bologna takes credit for mortadella, the model that American baloney strives to emulate. Cooked pork dishes have their followers, too. Zampone (stuffed pig's foot) is a delicacy eaten with lentils on New Year's Day; salame da sugo is a soft sausage eaten with a spoon alongside mashed potatoes. Bread takes unique forms in the Emilia-Romagna diet. Crusty twists called coppiette are omnipresent. Flat breads abound, and they go by different names: tortilla-like piada or piadina from Romagna, or the paper-thin borlengo, dressed with salt pork, garlic and rosemary, folded up into quarters and eaten as a light meal. A fresh-made borlengo should be so thin that you can read the newspaper through it, according to local custom. Another product that has earned the region culinary fame is balsamic vinegar, made in Modena. Authentic balsamic vinegar is made from the juice of Trebbiano grapes that is patiently aged in various types of wooden casks. Some batches age for 100 years or more before being bottled and sold.

Sparkling, dry red wines such as Lambrusco are often the table wine of choice to accompany the rich foods on regional menus. Hearty Sangiovese from Romagna is another highlight of the area's wine production. Trebbiano and Albana di Romagna are two prominent white wines. The region's favorite after-dinner liqueur is nocino, a digestive made from green walnuts.

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