The days are wintry grey and foggy now, even in Bologna, and even though the wonderful Christmas illumination in town provides a kind of comfort, it still feels grey and cold. You can’t count on snow here in Bologna, especially not for Christmas and you can´t drink mulled wine every night to brighten up your mind.  But you can listen to your tummy, your reliable foodie compass, and you know what to do: eat a bowl of hot soup. culinary tour italy, handmade tortellini

Christmas menu in Bologna

This deep-rooted human longing to comfort oneself through tasty food created the famous dish “Tortellini in brodo” (Tortellini in broth).

Traditionally it is the first course of the Christmas menu, but this originates from the time when people were short on foodstuffs.  Nowadays it’s quite common to eat this delicious dish during the whole cold season, so from December on you can order this heartwarming soup in every Bolognese restaurant.

Producing Tortellini – a social event

food tour bologna, toretllini handmade

If you decide to prepare Tortellini in brodo at home, you create a social aspect at the same time: the Tortellini are handmade (fatto al mano) and the preparation process needs many helping hands, so everyone in the family gets involved. You gather in the kitchen, have a glass of wine (to smooth  the process) and chat, while your hands work on the pasta – the Bolognese learn how to do it from childhood on, we immigrants still have to look at what we’re doing!

 

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