Mangia! It’s National Tortellini Day!

February 12, 2021

Pasta lovers will enjoy a traditional stuffed pasta during National Tortellini Day on February 13th! And, since 2/13 is also National “Italian Food” Day, it’s a perfect time to enjoy this classic stuffed pasta dish.

Tortellini is a signature dish that hails from the Italian region of Bologna, where they claim to have created this stuffed pasta packed with flavor. The most common fillings for tortellini are ham, white meat, and Parmesan cheese. Some people think that tortellini and tortelloni are the same, ah, but they’d be mistaken. According to the website “A Taste of Italy,” the two types of pasta, though similar in shape and name, will deliver completely different tastes. Both are made with the traditional style ‘egg-pasta’ composed of flour and egg, but the final products with the various fillings leave you wanting more.

Tortellini is the smaller of the two, and are traditionally are stuffed with a hearty meat filling and typically served in broth or cream sauce. Tortelloni, on the other hand, is larger and has a milder tasting filling, generally a mix of cheeses or some sort of vegetarian filling. The filling usually includes Parmigiano-Reggiano, a soft cheese and either spinach, swiss chard or parsley (in Bologna). They are typically served in a butter and sage sauce or a tomato and butter sauce with plenty of grated Parmigiano sprinkled on top.

So to remember the difference between tortellini and tortelloni, think “ini” is small and “oni” is large. Another thing to remember is that the smaller of the two has a very tasty filling that would overwhelm your palate if it was large. The larger of the two has a relatively milder tasting filling which is in perfect balance with the amount of dough surrounding it. Not to confuse things even further, Tortellacci is an even bigger – the biggest – version of these delightful stuffed pockets of pasta goodness.

Members of an organization called The Learned Order of the Tortellini in the city of Bologna wear special hats to their meetings that are red and gold and shaped like tortellini. They also wear a ribbon, around their neck that has a gold tortellini hanging on it. The Learned Order of the Tortellini has a large membership dedicated to the preservation of the traditional tortellini.

There are many ways to prepare a tortellini dish. You may want to top it with a cheese sauce, cream sauce, pesto or tomato sauce, and because of it’s small size, is also wonderful as part of a hearty soup dish. Want to try making your own tortellini dish? Here are a few to get you started, courtesy foodnetwork.com.

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Photo Credit: Dar1930 / Shutterstock.com

Written by: Vipology Staff Writer

A Taste of Italy website foodnetwork.com National Italian Food Day National Tortellini Day The Learned Order of the Tortellini Tortellini recipes Tortellini vs. Tortellacci Tortellini vs. Tortelloni

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