Flickr – cyclonebill – Ravioli med skinke og asparges i mascarponecreme. Usually served in broth or with a pelmeni, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine.
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The earliest known mention of ravioli appears in the personal letters of Francesco di Marco Datini, a merchant of Prato in the 14th century. Ravioli were already known in 14th century England, appearing in the Anglo-Norman vellum manuscript Forme of Cury under the name of rauioles. Traditionally, ravioli are made at home. The filling varies according to the area where they are prepared. In Rome and Latium the filling is made with ricotta cheese, spinach, nutmeg and black pepper. Modern ravioli are also mass-produced by machine. In Europe and the United States, fresh-packed ravioli have several weeks of shelf life.
Ravioli are commonly encountered in the cooking of Nice, the broader Côte 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 leftover daube meat. Ravioli filled with halloumi are a traditional pasta dish of Cypriot cuisine. They are boiled in chicken stock and served with grated halloumi and dried mint on top. In Turkey, Mantı 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 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”. A similar Middle Eastern dish called shishbarak contains pasta filled with minced beef meat and cooked in hot yogurt. Davidson Oxford Companion to Food, p. Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe: A Book of Essays. The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food. The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking: Traditional and Modern Recipes to Savor and Share.