Palazzo della Mercanzia, Bologna
In one of the most beautiful intersections of the town, right above the famous two towers, there is a treasure. Better saying: there, some of the most valuable pearls of the city are kept in safe.
The place, a magnificent building between two of the main Bolognese streets (Via Santo Stefano and Via Castiglione) is called Palazzo della Mercanzia, and is the headquarters of the current Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura di Bologna (Bolognese Chamber for Commerce Industry and Workmanship).
Palazzo della Mercanzia, Bologna
Someone will then ask me: “oh, cool, but… e quindi?” (Something like: “so what, Flora?”).
Quindi, there the Accademia Italiana dela Cucina deposited some of the recipes that are part of the history and culinary art of Bologna – and that are known all around the world.
The place has been chosen as the guardian temple of these treasures because, traditionally, the Camera di Commercio was responsible for the periodical publication of a sort of report on the customs and habits of the city – “Usi e Consuetudini” – and, for that reason, it has been considered the keeper par excellence of the records concerning the peculiarities of the Bolognese life.
Among the recipes that have been placed there to be preserved from changes and passed along generations, there are the “official recipes” of dishes such as “the true Bolognese tortellino”, the “tagliatella alla Bolognese”, the classic Bolognese ragù (the pasta sauce made with tomatoes slowly-cooked with meat), the green Bolognese lasagna and much more.
One of the treasure: the tortellino
If you want to take a look in some of them, the website Bologna Welcome, institutional partner of the Municipality, offers a list (in English) that can be found here.
Or, if you prefer to have an even more complete experience, visit the Palazzo della Mercanzia and ask for the beautiful ricettario (“the recipe book”, available in many languages) that is offered for free to the tourists that pass by.
Ricettario – All the recipes are there
And, to immediately beat the craving, here it is the official recipe of the ragù alla bolognese, registered on October 17, 1982.
Tagliatelle alla Bolognese – Osteria dell’Orsa
In fact, this recipe has been brought up to date a few years later, but it is not very different from the original one (that contained not-so-precise measures and explanations). Among the differences encompassed in the original recipe are: the type of meat, the use of concentrated tomato sauce and the fact that the milk had to be added little by little throughout all the cooking – instead of the stock.
Ragù alla Bolognese (Modern version)
(Serves 4 people)
Ingredients:
300g of beef (belly or shoulder) roughly chopped, 150g of bacon, 50g of carrots, 50g of celery, 50g of onion, 300g of tomato sauce or canned tomatoes, ½ a glass of dry white wine, ½ a glass of whole milk, stock, olive oil or butter, salt, pepper, ½ a glass of cream (optional).
Method:
Put the bacon (firstly diced then finely chopped) into a large pan of approx. cm. 20 until the fat starts to “melt”. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil or 50g of butter, the finely chopped vegetables and fry them gently. Add the minced meat and stir-fry it until it sizzles (use a wooden spoon). Pour ½ a glass of wine and stir gently until it is completely evaporated. Add the tomato sauce or the canned tomatoes and let it simmer for about 2 hours, adding some stock when necessary. Finally, add the milk to temper the acidity of the tomatoes, adjusting the salt and pepper.
According to the Bolognese tradition, 1/2 a glass of cream may be added at the end of the cooking (this however is not suitable for the “tagliatelle”).
FloCiBO 