Ravioli (; singular: ''raviolo'', ) are a type of

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, are som ...

comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a

sauce In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French word t ...

, they originated as a traditional food in

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and List of cooking techniques, cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and late ...

. Ravioli are commonly square, though other forms are also used, including circular and semi-circular (

mezzelune Mezzelune (, ), also known as Schlutzkrapfen in South Tyrol, Tyrol, and neighbouring German-speaking regions and as crafuncins or cajincì in Ladin-speaking regions, are a semi-circular stuffed pasta, similar to ravioli or pierogi. The dough is ...

). The word 'ravioli' means "little turnips" in Italian dialect, from the Italian ''rava'' meaning turnips, from the Latin ''rapa''.

History

The earliest known mention of ravioli appears in the personal letters of

Francesco di Marco Datini Francesco di Marco Datini (c. 1335 – 16 August 1410) was an Italian merchant born in Prato. Datini is notable for having implemented the first partnership system in business in 1383. Biography Datini was one of four children of Marco di Datin ...

, a merchant of

Prato Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the north east of Tuscany, at the foot of Monte Retaia, elevation , the last peak in the Calvana chain. With more than 200,000 i ...

in the 14th century.Davidson ''Oxford Companion to Food'', p. 655. In Venice, the mid-14th-century manuscript ''Libro 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". In

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, ravioli were already well known when

Bartolomeo Scappi Bartolomeo Scappi (c. 1500 – 13 April 1577) was a famous Italian Renaissance chef. His origins had been the subject of speculation, but recent research shows that he came from the town of Dumenza in Lombardy, according to the inscription on ...

served them with boiled chicken to the papal conclave of 1549. Ravioli were already known in 14th-century England, appearing in the

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anima ...

manuscript '' The Forme of Cury'' under the name of ''rauioles''. Sicilian ravioli and

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

's ''ravjul'' may thus be older than North Italian ones.

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

''ravjul'' are stuffed with ''irkotta'', the locally produced sheep's-milk

ricotta Ricotta ( in Italian) is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the ...

, or with ''gbejna'', the traditional fresh sheep's-milk cheese. Ravioli-casalinghi-con-la-ricotta

Overview

Traditionally, ravioli are made at home. The filling varies according to the area where they are prepared. In

and

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whi ...

the filling is made with

cheese,

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

and

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diame ...

. In

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, ravioli are filled with ricotta and grated lemon rind. Modern ravioli are also mass-produced by machine.

Around the world

In Europe and the United States, fresh-packed ravioli have several weeks of shelf life. Canned ravioli were pioneered by the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and were popularized by

Heinz The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six conti ...

and Buitoni in the UK and Europe, and

Chef Boyardee Chef Boyardee is an American brand of canned pasta products sold internationally by Conagra Brands. The company was founded by Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi in Milton, Pennsylvania, U.S., in 1928. History After leaving his position as head ...

in the United States. Canned ravioli may be filled with beef, processed cheese, chicken, or Italian

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

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 St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, and is a popular appetizer and snack food. Ravioli are commonly encountered in the cooking of

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, the broader

Côte d'Azur The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...

, 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 leftover

daube Daube is a classic Provençal (or more broadly, French) stew made with inexpensive beef braised in wine, vegetables, garlic, and ''herbes de Provence'', and traditionally cooked in a daubière, a braising pan. A traditional daubière is a terrac ...

meat. Miniaturized cheese-filled ravioli, locally called ''ravioles'', are a specialty of the

Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.

department in the

Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes () was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the river Rhône an ...

region, particularly the commune of

Romans-sur-Isère Romans-sur-Isère (; Occitan: ''Rumans d'Isèra''; Old Occitan: ''Romans'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Geography Romans-sur-Isère is located on the Isère, northeast of Valence. There are more than 50,000 in ...

, and are frequently served ''au gratin''. Ravioli filled with

halloumi Halloumi or haloumi (, el, χαλούμι, haloúmi; tr, hellim}) is a traditional Cypriot cheese made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. Its texture is described as squeaky. It has a high melting point a ...

are a traditional pasta dish of

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

cuisine. They are boiled in chicken stock and served with grated

and dried mint on top.

In other cultures

In Turkey,

Mantı Manti is a type of dumpling popular in most cuisines of the Caucasian cuisine, South Caucasus, Balkan cuisine, Balkans, Central Asian cuisine, Central Asia, and Afghan cuisine, Afghanistan. Manti is also popular among Chinese Islamic cuisine, Chi ...

which is similar to ravioli is a popular dish. It is stuffed with spiced meat and served with paprika sauce and yoghurt. Similar dishes in China are the jiaozi or wonton. In India, a popular dish called

gujiya Gunjiya, Gughara, Pedakiya, karanji, Kajjikayalu,Somas,Karjikayi is a sweet deep-fried dumpling, native to the Indian subcontinent, made with suji (semolina) or maida (all purpose flour) stuffed with a mixture of sweetened khoa (milk solids; ...

is similar to ravioli. However, it is prepared sweet, with a filling of dry fruits, sugar, and a mixture of sweet spices, then deep fried in vegetable oil. Different stuffings are used in different parts of India. The dish is a popular food prepared during festivals all over the country. Jewish cuisine has a similar dish called kreplach, a pocket of meat or other filling, with an egg pasta based covering. It is simmered in chicken soup. In that method of preparation it appears to be the direct descendant or inspiration of the original dish, which was simmered in "broth". Claudia Roden argues it originated in the Venetian

Ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

at about the same time ravioli was developed, and in time became a mainstay of Jewish cuisine. A similar Middle Eastern dish called shishbarak contains pasta filled with minced beef meat and cooked in hot yogurt. Lobster Ravioli from Quattro in Little Italy In Boston, MA

Lobster Ravioli from Quattro in Little Italy In Boston, MA

References

Notes

Sources

* Adamson, Melitta Weiss; ed. (2002) ''Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe: A Book of Essays''. Routledge. . * * * * *

External links

How to make ravioli from scratch (video)

General catalog of double sheet ravioli shapes

Machine-made ravioli (video)
commercial demonstration of machine producing different kinds of pasta, including ravioli {{Dumplings Pasta dishes Dumplings Italian cuisine French cuisine Maltese cuisine Cypriot cuisine