Legend has it that the tortellino was born to reproduce the navel of Venus asleep in an inn between Bologna and Modena.
For sure tortellini, tortelloni and ravioli, for sauce and broth, casoncelli, agnolotti, pansoti or Italian stuffed pasta give an explosive combination of taste that has conquered the whole world.
This is true, however it is called since there are also the Sardinian culurjones or the Romagna mumps.
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Stuffed pasta: what is it?
When the excellence of pasta has an irresistible taste is a tortellino or stuffed pasta, without any doubt one of the most known and appreciated gastronomic specialties of traditional Italian cuisine.
This food is composed of a soft dough of fresh pasta that wraps a filling with a rich flavor and that can be made with meat, with fish, vegetables, cheese, spices and even with sweet foods.
It is a first course that can tell the story of the region of origin. In fact, there are different varieties in relation to the area of Italy where they are prepared. Let’s discover the history of this traditional Italian dish and what are the different variations that are prepared.
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Stuffed fresh pasta is a first course of traditional Italian cuisine that is prepared since ancient times. It is a combination of simple ingredients such as water, flour and eggs to which is added a tasty filling that can be made with meat, fish, cheese and vegetables.
In a nutshell, this type of pasta consists of a sheet of fresh pasta that wraps a filling. This traditional Italian dish is particularly common in the regions of northern and central Italy.
In Bologna the tortellino has different sizes in case it is from sauce or broth. The latter would traditionally be turned on the little finger of a child or is much smaller than his brother from ragout.
The history of Italian stuffed pasta
The first evidence of the existence of what we now call stuffed pasta can be found already in ancient Rome, even if it is in the Middle Ages that this first dish is spread among the most representative of the excellence of Italian gastronomic culture.
The first certain information dates back to the 12th century. In fact, during the Christmas holidays the most important families of Bologna used to eat delicious tortellorum. Thanks to its exceptional goodness this dish is soon established throughout the Italian territory. In the fourteenth century stuffed pasta is a dish that is part of the family cuisine of almost all Italian regions.
Its diffusion in the territory gives rise to numerous regional variations. So in addition to ravioli are also prepared tortellini, tortelloni, agnolotti and all other regional variations. Fresh pasta has become over time more and more popular and loved becoming a symbol of Italian cuisine.
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Stuffed pasta: the legends
In Emilia fresh pasta is a real institution and for this reason from these territories come some of the legends about the origin of this extraordinary food. One of the most famous is undoubtedly the navel of Venus. It is said that during the centuries-old battles between Modena and Bologna three gods of Olympus came down to earth.
It was Bacchus, Mars and Venus who decided to stop and rest in an inn in Castelfranco Emilia. The innkeeper could not resist the temptation and was enchanted to spy on Venus asleep.
Enchanted by his extraordinary beauty he decided to reproduce the harmonious perfection of his navel using the pasta he had in the kitchen. The term ravioli comes from the Latin word for turnip. This is because in the past the ravioli was a wrap of pasta filled with ricotta and turnip leaves.
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Stuffed pasta: the most famous types
One of the most interesting aspects of this food is that it can be prepared in many different ways. In fact, every area of Italy has its own stuffed pasta. One of the best known recipes is that of cappelletti, a typical filled pasta from Romagna.
Depending on the different areas, the filling changes, which however usually contains capon meat, cheese and nutmeg. Very famous is also the stuffed pasta typical of the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo that bears the name of casoncelli.
Another very appreciated type is the one widespread in Liguria or the pansoti. Undoubtedly the most popular formats are ravioli along with tortellini. The latter are typical of the Bologna area and are still prepared today following an ancient recipe that is codified in a strict disciplinary.
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It is a stuffed egg pasta. Instead the ravioli are very common throughout Italy and are prepared with different ingredients for the filling. In Tuscany, potato tortelli in Mantua are common and pumpkin tortelli triumph.
Finally, we reveal the difference in preparation between ravioli and agnolotto: the first is filled with raw meat, the second with braised, roasted or overcooked meat. Bon appetit.