13 February: Tortellini

It's National Tortellini Day. How much do you know about tortellini?

1. What is it? It's pasta, shaped like a small ring and stuffed with meat, usually pork loin or prosciutto; or Cheese.
2. Alternative names for this pasta shape are cappelletti or ombelico. The latter name refers to the fact tortellini resembles a belly button.
3. That tortellini look like belly buttons is reflected in the legend of its origin, which states that the goddess Venus (some versions say Lucrezia Borgia) stayed at an inn one night The innkeeper couldn't resist peeking through the keyhole of her room to get a glimpse of her body. The room was so dark that all he could see was her navel, but this was enough to inspire him to rush to the kitchen and make a new type of pasta in the image of a beautiful belly button!
4. A more prosaic explanation states that they are meant to look like Turtles, because buildings in Modena, Italy, one of the places, along with Bologna, where this pasta originally comes from.
5. The anonymous inventor of tortellini is celebrated in an annual parade in Castelfranco, Italy. People dress up in elaborate Renaissance costumes and there is music and street performers who re-enact the Venus/innkeeper legend.
6. The similar named Tortelloni is the same shape, but it's bigger. Tortelloni typically weigh 5g while Tortellini weigh 2g.
7. Traditionally, tortellini should only ever be served in broth. To serve it in flavoured sauces distracts from the flavour of the filling, traditionalists say.
8. The first known tortellini recipe dates to 1570. Until the 19th century, it was a dish only eaten by the affluent, or on special occasions because the ingredients for the filling were expensive.
9. The recipe and method of making tortellini, also known as sfogline, from sfoglia, the sheet of fresh egg pasta it's made from, is passed down through the women in families. The recipe calls for one Egg for every four ounces of flour. The flour and eggs are mixed, kneaded for at least ten minutes and finally stretched until it is paper thin. It is cut into squares and a dollop of filling placed in the middle of each square. The cook will then fold it into a triangle and wrap it around her finger to produce the ring shape.
10. In modern times, with many women going out to work, it is feared the art of making tortellini will be lost - so some designers in Italy have produced an app to teach everyone, men included, how to make tortellini and keep the traditions alive.

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