L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 8 LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE CARLA GAMBESCIA T he answer is … both! But let's first explore the city of Bologna, home of both the leg- endary pasta sauce and noble breed of dog. All too often overlooked on the basic Italian tourist itinerary, Bologna is a buzzing prosperous city renowned as the gastronom- ic center of Italy and capital of Emilia-Romagna. It has an opu- lent feel reflecting both its pre- sent and illustrious past. Bologna is bellissima. The center is quin- tessentially medieval with red- tiled roofs and balconies radiat- ing out from the great central square of Piazza Maggiore, and a harmonious ensemble of porti- coed w alkw ays , red-brick palazzi, and charming squares. There are numerous monuments and curiosities including plenty of small quirky museums and, most conspicuously, the Due Torri, Bologna's own two "lean- ing towers." Italians refer to Bologna as la dotta, la rossa, e la grassa, "the erudite, the red, and the fat." "The erudite," becaus e it is home to the oldest true universi- ty in the world—known as La Dotta (The Learned)—which first achieved international fame as a law school and then medical school. Thomas Becket, Petrar- ch, Copernicus, and Erasmus all studied in Bologna. Marcello Malpighi, the great pioneering physician, Luigi Galvani, one of the first biologists, and novelist U mb erto Eco tau ght there. Today 100,000 Italian and for- eign students attend the universi- ty, making up about 20 percent of the city's population and bringing a true "happening" energy and vibe to it, whether in theater, music, summer festivals, or just the café and bar scene, which is among northern Italy's liveliest. Bologna "the red" because of the vivid color of the roofs and buildings—and because Bologna has a reputation and long history of left-wing politics and is home to the former Italian communist party and its newspaper, L'U- nità. And finally, Bologna "the fat" because of its legendary gastronomy, prominently featur- ing meats, ham, salami, and, of course, the famous Bolognese sauce. Ragù alla Bolognese is typically served with tagliatelle or lasagna. Today it's thought of as a red sauce, but many recipes only add a s mall amount of tomato and the "original" did not; it was really all about the meats. The first recipe came from Pellegrino Artusi and is included in his cookbook pub- lished in 1891. Artusi's recipe, M accheroni alla Bolognes e, thought to have originated in the 1850s when he spent time in Bologna, called for lean veal filet, pancetta, onions, and car- rots all finely minced, cooked with butter until brown, then with broth. Artusi also suggested enhancements, like the addition of dried mushrooms or truffle slices, or finely chopped chicken liver cooked with the meat. He further s ugges ted, as a final touch, the addition of cream to make an even smoother, richer- tasting dish. The Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Italian Academy of Cui- sine) registered the "authentic" recipe for Bolognese Ragù with the Bologna Chamber of Com- merce on October 17, 1982 in the Palazzo della Mercanzia. The recipe features beef, pancetta, carrots, celery, onions, tomato s auce, w hole milk and red wine. Now the dog. A member of the bichon group, the Bolognese breed is thought to have des cen ded from that type in southern Italy around the 11th or 12th century—making the dog senior to the sauce, and, as it turns out, jus t as w ell-liked domestically and abroad. The Bolognese became very popular among the royal courts of Italy and other parts of Europe from the 16th century to the early 19th century. The little dog is featured in several famous paintings by the Venetian master Titian (as well as some of those by Spain's Goya) and was the "it dog" and a pampered companion of the Ital- ian nobility. Cosimo de Medici took eight Bolognese to Brussels as gifts for Belgian noblemen. Both the Gonzagas and Medicis bred them. The D uke d'Es te gave a pair to King Phillip II of Spain as a gift; he was thanked by the king who wrote, "These two little dogs are the most royal gifts one can make to an emper- or." Many famous personalities in his tory had a Bolognes e: M adame P ompadour (1721– 1764), Czarina Catherine the Great of Russia (1729–1796), and Maria Therese, Empress of Austria and mother of Marie Antoinette (1717–1780). Maria Therese loved her Bolognese so much that after its death she had it preserved, and it can be seen in the Natural History Museum in Vienna. With the decline of the aris- tocracy in Europe, the Bolognese fell from favor and by the end of World War II the breed became almost extinct. But with the hard work of some dedicated breeders in Italy and Belgium it has been resurrected. So, when in Italy, visit Bologna, try the delicious sauce, and if you can't quite pick up a sample of what is now a highly uncommon breed, you can always select the adorable and energetic consolation prize: the breed most closely related to the Bolognes e, the popular Bichon Frise. Bolognese sauce is a staple of Italian cuisine. But in Italy, we don't usually have it with spaghetti! The beautiful Bolognese, once upon a time, the dog of noblemen and kings Bolognese: sauce ... or dog?

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