Tortellini: the registered recipe and the broth war

In Bologna the tortellino isn’t just a dish: it’s a matter of identity. So much so that its recipe was written down and registered with the Chamber of Commerce on 7 December 1974 by the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino (the “Learned Brotherhood of the Tortellino”), together with the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.

The official filling

Browned pork loin, prosciutto crudo, Bologna mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs and nutmeg. All wrapped in very thin, hand-rolled pasta and folded around a finger into the shape that, legend says, recalls the navel of Venus.

Only in broth?

Traditional tortellini are eaten in broth, made from beef or capon, especially at Christmas. The cream version had its moment of glory in the 1980s and still divides families. Let’s just say that if you order “tortellini with cream and ham” in a historic osteria, you might get an unforgettable look.

And tagliatelle?

They have an official measurement too: registered in 1972, it states that a cooked tagliatella should be about 8 millimetres wide. Legend has it that this corresponds to an exact fraction of the height of the Asinelli Tower. True or not, it’s too good not to tell.