ADVERTISEMENT
The History of Tortellini:
From Barilla.com:
Legend claims that Tortellini was inspired by the goddess Venus’ navel. An Italian medieval legend tells how Venus and Zeus, weary one night after their involvement in a battle between Bologna and Modena, arrive at a tavern in a small town on the outskirts of Bologna. After eating a hearty dinner and becoming slightly drunk, they decide to share a bedroom. The innkeeper, captivated after watching them, creeps to their room and peeks through the keyhole of the bedroom door. However, all he can see through the keyhole is the naval of Venus. This vision leaves him spellbound – so much so that he immediately rushes to the kitchen and creates a pasta inspired by Venus’ navel…and so was born the Tortellini.
Another legend claims that tortellini were created to look like turtles instead of navels.
In any case, it was most likely created sometime during the Middle Ages in Italy in an effort to encase pasta filling so it would not leak into the cooking water.
Today, tortellini is a traditional pasta of the Bologna region of Italy. It’s often served in broth or with cream or red sauces.
ADVERTISEMENT
