Known as “The Culinary Capital of Italy”, Bologna has no shortage of amazing food. Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy which produces parmigiano-reggiano, balsamic vinaigrette, and prosciutto di parma. It is really hard to find a bad meal in Bologna, as there is just so much good food. My introduction to the Bologna culinary scene was visiting Salumeria Simoni for aperitivos. This restaurant is located on one of the small, lively streets of Bologna. Salumeria Simoni was nothing short of amazing.
We ordered two samplers here. One was a parmesan sampler, which included three different aged parmesans with balsamic vinaigrette from Modena on top, and the second sampler was a meat and cheese plate (which I will get to later). The parmigiano sampler was fantastic. The three different parmigiano options were cut into cubes and separated, making them really easy to eat. The parmigiano-reggiano’s were aged 18 months, 24 months, and 36 months. Each parmesan had a different flavor profile and texture. My favorite was the 24 month aged parmigiano because it had a bit of a “crunch” to it, and a bold flavor. This was the most authentic parmigiano-reggiano I’ve ever had. All three cheeses were delicious, and I would’ve eaten 3 more samplers if I had time to stay at Simoni all afternoon.
The meat and cheese platter was heaven on a plate. Everything was locally made. The plate included a bit of mortadella (another specialty of the region), prosciutto crudo, salami, this pinkish spread which we had no idea what is was, but very good nonetheless, parmigiano with modena balsamic on it, two different local cheeses, and finally squacquerone cheese. I discovered squacquerone here, and it was one of the best cheeses I have ever had. It is a rich, spreadable cheese that is a little sweet and tangy (now that I am back in America, I have not been able to find it!). If you go to the Emilia-Romagna region, this is a must get.
Salumeria Simoni was so good, we went back another time to get another meat and cheese platter. The platter we got was a little different as it had sun-dried tomatoes and an additional meat which was a local type of salami (salame rosa). This was just as good as the first time we went.
In addition, the bread cubes served at the table were really tasty. You did not need any olive oil or balsamic to dress up this bread.
Takeaways: Literally anything on this menu is excellent. You cannot go wrong at Salumeria Simoni. It was a great introduction to the Bologna food scene for me. We would’ve ordered more food if we weren’t doing a culinary tour of the city. I highly recommend this place for anyone who goes to Bologna.
Score: 9.5/10
a dude eats abroad 