Small dumplings, most often square in shape, stuffed with meat, cottage cheese or cheese, vegetables - ravioli is one of the most popular Italian dishes after pizza and pasta. Boiled in broth, they are served with thick creamy, tomato or other aromatic sauces. But they are no less tasty, and they are simply poured with high-quality olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan.
History of ravioli
The first mention of ravioli dates back to the 14th century. In the letters of Francesco di Marco, a merchant from Tuscany, a recipe for small square dumplings stuffed with chopped herbs mixed with raw egg and grated cheese is described. These dumplings were called raviolo. In the iconic "Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio, which also saw the light of day around the middle of the 14th century, the author wrote about his heroes: "they have not done anything yet, but they have put pasta and ravioli to boil." Surprisingly, at the same time, ravioli was written about in the ancient Anglo-Norman manuscript, as about a dish whose recipe was brought from Malta.
Later on ravioli will be written in the 16th century. It was these dumplings stuffed with minced chicken that were served at the papal conclave in 1549 by the famous chef Bartolomeo Scappi. He would later publish the cult cookbook Opera dell'arte del cucinare, which is still read by people with an interest in cooking. In it, he will bring, among others, a recipe for ravioli.
By the 17th century, vegetable-filled ravioli had become a traditional food for Italians on Fast Fridays and during Lent.
Such different ravioli
Ravioli are made with a wide variety of fillings. There are dozens of different regional recipes, the most famous of which are:
- potato ravioli from Lazio;
- ravioli with veronese radicio salad;
- Sardinian ravioli with cottage cheese and lemon zest;
- Neapolitan fried ravioli;
- Milanese style meat ravioli.
The most popular minced meat for ravioli is made from spinach, ricotta and parmesan, it is called di magro, that is, "for the thin". It is with such a filling that these "dumplings" are served on fasting days (Catholics have slightly different ideas about lenten dishes than Orthodox Christians). A little less often, ravioli are filled with minced ricotta, chopped parsley, raw egg and parmesan. These ravioli are served in a thick tomato sauce. Gourmets choose the recipes for ravioli stuffed with anchovies, mozzarella and raisins or with sturgeon in shrimp sauce; ravioli with lentils and pancetta, pumpkin and nutmeg are delicious. There are also sweet ravioli, for which the ricotta filling is filled with fresh berries and fruits, honey, seasoned with cinnamon and cardamom.
Since ravioli are not always made square and filled with different minced meat, it is sometimes very difficult not to confuse them with other varieties of Italian dumplings. For example, from tortelli, which northern Italy is famous for, ravioli differ only in their smaller size. Piedmontese Angolotti, Parma anolini, Ligurian panzotti are considered to be a variety of ravioli.
