 Ravioli withmascarpone sauce | |
| Type | Pasta |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Main ingredients | Flour,eggs, water, filling |
Ravioli (Italian:[raviˈɔli];sg.:raviolo,Italian:[raviˈɔlo]) are a type ofstuffed pasta comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce, they originated as atraditional food inItalian cuisine. Ravioli are commonly square, though other forms are also used, including circular and semi-circular (mezzelune).
Ravioli appear in the 14th-century cookbookThe Forme of Cury under the name ofrauioles.[1][2]
English and French borrowed the wordravioli from Italian in the 14th century.[3] The ultimate origin of the word is uncertain.[4] It is sometimes connected to the northern Italian wordrava, 'turnip', supposing that the filling was made of turnips, but the earliest recipes, even Lenten ones, do not include turnips. Another theory connects it to a kind of cheese (related to modern Italianrobiola), but that also appears unlikely.[3][5]
Ravioli are mentioned in the personal letters ofFrancesco Datini, a merchant ofPrato in the 14th century.[1] In Venice, the mid-14th-century manuscriptLibro per cuoco offers ravioli of green herbs blanched and minced, mixed with beaten egg and fresh cheese, simmered in broth and seasoned with "sweet and strong spices".[6] InRome, ravioli were already well known whenBartolomeo Scappi served them with boiled chicken to thepapal conclave of 1549.[7]
Traditionally, ravioli are made at home. The filling varies according to the area where they are prepared. InRome andLatium, the filling is made withricotta cheese,spinach,nutmeg andblack pepper. InSardinia, ravioli are filled with ricotta and gratedlemon rind.
InCampania, ravioli are generally round and filled with ricotta. Unlike other parts of Italy, they omit parsley. The pasta is usually made of water and flour, and sometimes eggs. In summer, they are frequently eaten with a tomato sauce, and in winter,ragù.[8]
Modern ravioli are also mass-produced by machine.[9]
In Europe and the United States, fresh-packed ravioli have several weeks of shelf life. Canned ravioli were pioneered by theItalian Army in theFirst World War and were popularized byHeinz andBuitoni in the UK and Europe, andChef Boyardee in the United States. Canned ravioli may be filled with beef, processed cheese, chicken, or Italiansausage and served in a tomato, tomato-meat, or tomato-cheese sauce.Toasted ravioli (ravioli that have been breaded and deep-fried) was developed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is a popular appetizer and snack food.[10]
Ravioli are commonly encountered in the cooking ofNice, the broaderCôte d'Azur, and the surrounding regions in the south of France. The contents of these vary greatly, but most idiosyncratic to the region is the use of leftoverdaube meat.[11] Miniaturized cheese-filled ravioli, locally calledraviole du Dauphiné, are a specialty of theDrôme department in theRhône-Alpes region, particularly the commune ofRomans-sur-Isère, and are frequently servedau gratin.
Ravioli filled withhalloumi are a traditional pasta dish ofCypriot cuisine.[12] They are boiled in chicken stock and served with grated halloumi and dried mint on top.
In Turkey,manti, similar to ravioli, is a popular dish. It is stuffed with spiced meat and served with paprika sauce and yoghurt. Similar dishes in China arejiaozi orwonton.
In India, a popular dish calledgujhia is similar to ravioli. However, it is prepared sweet, with a filling of dry fruits, sugar, and a mixture of sweet spices, thendeep-fried in vegetable oil. Different stuffings are used in different parts of India.
Jewish cuisine includes various similar dishes.Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine featureskreplach, which are pockets of meat or other fillings encased in egg-pasta dough and simmered in chicken soup.[citation needed] In the Israeli cities ofSafed andTiberias, there is a comparable dish calledcalsones (pronouncedcaltzones). These are pockets filled withtzfatit, a locally made sheep’s milk cheese. This dish originated inJewish communities in Spain andItaly, with migrating Jews bringing it toSyria and thenIsrael, where it became aShavuot staple.[13]
A similar Middle Eastern dish calledshishbarak contains pasta filled with minced beef meat and cooked in hot yogurt.
In Argentina,sorrentinos are large ravioli typically stuffed with meat and cheese and served with a tomato and meat sauce.
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