The lunch meat we eat in America gets its name from this city, where they specialize in making a type of sausage called mortadella. Mortadella can be eaten with pasta or in a sandwich. At my local grocery store, I saw a huge piece of mortadella being cut up at the deli counter.
Another local dish is pasta bolognese, which is popular in America too. Bolognese sauce is named for Bologna, where it was invented by simmering tomato sauce and beef. Many restaurants specalize in making this sauce in different ways; I have even tried a vegetarian version made with mushrooms.
Italians usually eat pasta for lunch and dinner, with a light breakfast of a pastry and coffee to start their day. Coffee is a big deal here. At work, we all have coffee in the morning and after lunch. Italians don't drink large coffees like we do in America; instead, they drink tiny cups of espresso without milk! It's very bitter, but Italians consider it essential to being able to get work done.
I've also participated in the Italian tradition of apertivo, a light meal eaten before dinner. Most people have small appetizers and salty snacks while they socialize in outdoor cafes. I recently tried a cheese plate with Italian cheeses like mozzarella and parmesan. The cheeses were accompanied with honey and jam as sweet things to balance out the savory cheeses.
After dinner, there are many famous Italian desserts to try. There's gelato shops on every corner, as well as pastry shops selling cannolis and tiramasu. I have had the tradiational gelato flavors like chocolate, but also more unique flavors like stracciatella, which reminded me of cheese.
