The basic ingredients—namely flour and eggs—remain the same. Yet there are hundreds (if not thousands) of different pasta names. And all of them are recognizable by their unique shape.
Tagliatelle, penne, farfalle or even fusilli… Behind each of them lies the story of the very first time they appeared on our tables. Stories which, however, do not everyone in Italy agree on.
The BBC looked into on the case of tortellini — these round pasta filled with mortadella, prosciutto, pork tenderloin and parmesan emblematic of the Emilia-Romagna region, served in broth or «nappa» (crème).
The Gods of Olympus get involved
Chiefs and residents alike have been arguing about their origin for several centuries. Were tortellini created in Modena or Bologna? To understand this mystery, we have to go back to the Middle Ages, when the two cities were rivals.
A religious conflict opposing them lasted more than 300 years: Modena supported the Holy Roman Empire, when Bologna supported the popes. If we are to believe the Modena poet Alessandro Tassoni, the Gods themselves became involved in the conflict, when in 1325 soldiers from Modena stole a bucket from a well in the city of Bologna.
In 1622, the poet details in La Secchia Kidnapped (The Stolen Bucket) that Apollo and Minerva sided with Bologna, when Mars, Venus and Bacchus sided with Modena.
While several variations of the myth exist, one of them is more popular than the others. In this version, Venus, Bacchus and Mars one day entered an inn. In the morning, the innkeeper – who was in love with the beauty of the goddess – would have looked through the keyhole of the room where Venus was sleeping, naked. He would have seen her navel and would have been inspired to create the tortellini.
“Difficult to decide in the end”
However, if the inn was indeed located in Emilia-Romagna, it was neither in Modena nor in Bologna but… in Castelfranco Emilia, a small town located between the two.
Another proof comes from a writing by the priest and historian Ludovico Antonio Muratori between 1688 and 1690. He indicated having eaten «tortellini soup» (tortellini soup) in Castelfranco Emilia.
If today a statue of the innkeeper looking at Venus exists in Castelfranco Emilia, it is still difficult today to state with certainty their origin. “The problem is that tortellini was first made in Castelfranco Emilia. (We know) the legend of Venus’ navel, but Castelfranco Emilia was a province of both Modena and Bologna, so (it) will be difficult to decide in the end. explains chef Stefano Secchi.
Source: www.slate.fr
