What is in season in Bologna. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Asparagus from the Po valley: White asparagus from Altedo IGP and green from across the Po basin; the spring vegetable on every Bolognese table.
- Vignola cherries (Ciliegia di Vignola IGP): PGI-protected cherries from the hills between Modena and Bologna; harvest is hand-picked for three short weeks.
- Tortelloni di erbette: Hand-rolled tortelloni stuffed with ricotta and erbette (chard or wild herbs); the spring sfogline pasta.
Summer
- Vignola peaches and apricots: Peaches and apricots from the same Vignola-Modena hills as the spring cherries; a six-week stone-fruit window.
- Crescentine and tigelle with summer salumi: Fried dough (crescentine fritte) and grilled tigelle filled with lardo, prosciutto and squacquerone; long aperitivo season.
- Gelato with melon, peach and balsamic: Stone-fruit gelato, plus the local trick of plating gelato fior di latte with aceto balsamico tradizionale on top.
Autumn
- White truffle (tartufo bianco): Hand-grated over tagliatelle, eggs and risotto; the Apennine foothills west of Bologna are core truffle country.
- Tartofla Savigno: International white truffle festival at Savigno, 40 km west of Bologna; the regional truffle market and tasting circuit.
- Tortelli di zucca: Pumpkin-stuffed tortelli with amaretti and mostarda di Cremona; the autumn pasta of the Po valley.
Winter
- Tortellini in brodo: The classic Bolognese-Modenese Christmas first course: tiny meat-stuffed pasta in capon broth, by official 1974 recipe.
- Certosino di Bologna: Bologna's spiced honey, candied fruit and chocolate Christmas cake; recipe deposited with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce in 2001.
- Lambrusco novello and aperitivo season: Fresh-vintage Lambrusco (Sorbara, Grasparossa) paired with mortadella and a slice of Parmigiano; the Bolognese winter aperitivo.