Tortelloni

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Tortelloni
Tortelloni.jpg
Type Pasta
Place of origin Italy
Region or state
Main ingredientsFlour, egg, ricotta, parsley, spinach, Parmesan
Variations Tortellini, cappellacci , balanzoni , tortellacci
  •   Commons-logo.svg Media:Tortelloni

Tortelloni is a type of stuffed pasta common in northern Italy, with a shape similar to tortellini, but larger and with a cheese-based filling. It is traditionally stuffed with ricotta, Parmesan, leafy herbs or vegetables such as parsley or spinach, egg, and nutmeg. [1] [2]

Contents

Description

Tortelloni are similar to tortellini but are larger in size, and their filling contains no meat. [3]

In Modena, tortelloni (tùrtlòun in the Modena dialect) are filled with ricotta cheese. Cappellacci (called caplaz in the Ferrara dialect) are a variation of tortelloni typical of Ferrara, Reggio Emilia and Mantua. They are filled with pumpkin, whose sweet flavour is enhanced by grated amaretto. The name Cappellacci (from cappelli, meaning "hats") refers to the wide-brimmed straw hats worn by farmers in the Ferrara countryside, where pumpkins are widely grown. [4] Another variation is balanzoni, tortelloni that are green in colour due to the use of spinach in the dough. [3] Finally, tortellacci are a variation of tortelloni, but they are larger and filled with ricotta or other cheeses, such as pecorino or gorgonzola.

When traditionally made with ricotta and herbs, after boiling them, tortelloni are often stir-fried with melted butter and sage leaves, and covered with grated Parmesan. [1] They can also be eaten with tomato sauce.

As one of the few northern Italian pasta dishes with no meat content, it is a traditional dish for Christmas Eve. [2]

See also

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Tortelloni at Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. 1 2 "Ricotta and spinach tortelloni". www.emiliaromagnaturismo.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-08. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Caggiano, Biba (2002). Biba's Northern Italian Cooking. Penguin. p. 70. ISBN   9781557883803 . Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Tortellini, cappelletti, tortelloni: una storia tutta italiana". cedigros.com (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  4. "Le origini | Sagra dal Caplaz" (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-11-12.