Pasta stuffed with filling
Tortellini are pasta originally from the Italian region of Emilia (in particular Bologna and Modena). Traditionally they are stuffed with a mix of meat (pork loin, raw prosciutto, mortadella), Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, egg and nutmeg and served in capon broth (in brodo di cappone).[1]
In the area of origin they are usually sold fresh or home-made. Industrially packaged, dried, refrigerated, or frozen tortellini appear in many locations around the world, especially where there are large Italian communities.
Origins
The origin of tortellini is disputed; both Bologna and Modena, cities in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, claim to be its birthplace.[2] OxfordDictionaries.com traces the etymology of tortellini to the diminutive form of tortello, itself a diminutive of torta ("cake" or "pie" in Italian).[3]
The recipe for a dish called "torteletti" appears in 1570 from Bartolomeo Scappi. Vincenzo Tanara's writings in the mid-17th century may be responsible for the pasta's renaming to tortellini. In the 1800s, legends sprang up to explain the recipe's origins, offering a compromise. Castelfranco Emilia, located between Bologna and Modena,[2] is featured in one legend, in which Venus stays at an inn. Overcome by her beauty, the innkeeper spies on her through a keyhole, through which he can only see her navel. He is inspired to create a pasta in this shape. This legend would be at the origin of the term "ombelico di Venere" (Venus' navel), occasionally used to describe tortellini.[4] In honor of this legend, an annual festival is held in Castelfranco Emilia.[5] Another legend posits that the shape comes from Modena's architecture, which resembles a turtle.[6]
Comparison with tortelloni
Tortelloni is pasta in a similar shape, but larger, typically 5 g, vs. 2 g for tortellini,[7] and with the extremities closed differently. While tortellini have a meat-based filling, tortelloni are filled with ricotta and sometimes with parsley or spinach. Moreover, while tortellini are traditionally cooked in and served with broth, tortelloni are cooked in water, stir-fried (traditionally with butter and sage) and served dry.
Production process
Tortellini being prepared by hand
Production steps
- Knead the ground pork, along with the other ingredients, to make the stuffing
- Knead the flour and eggs to make the dough
- Flatten the dough
- Cut the flattened dough into squares
- Deposit a portion of stuffing on each square of dough
- Shape the tortellino
Equipment
Homemade
- chopping board
- knife
- rolling pin
- Dough Rolling Board
Industry
- mincer
- kneading machine
- sheeter
- Forming machine (tortellini machine)
