BBC searches for tortellini with a deep dive into the history of one of northern Italy’s most iconic pastas.
But WHERE does the iconic pasta originate from?
For centuries it has been a hotly contested debate in the region of Emilia Romagna! Cities Bologna and Modena fought for the recognition but today, the honor has largely been awarded to the small town of Castelfranco Emilia.
Popular myth posits that an innkeeper in Castelfranco crafted tortellini based on the shape of Venus’s belly button. More tangible evidence credits 17th century priest and historian Ludovico Antonio Muratori first trying tortellini soup in Castelfranco Emilia.
Today, the history of tortellini is so embedded with Castelfranco Emilia that the region hosts an annual Tortellini Festival here (Sagra del Tortellino). The town even has a fountain dedicated to Venus and the innkeeper.
As the BBC searches for tortellini, its origin story is a hearty debate we can all get behind!
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