SC - Ravioli, Tortelli, and Fritters (Long)

[Christi Redeker]

I have the book at work now.  I am posting (in this order) the original, the
translation and the explanation about the words being interchangeable.

>From The Original Mediterranean Cuisine, by Barbara Santich

DE' CRISPELLE DI CARNE, O VERO TORTELLI E RAVIOLI
(LIBRO DELLA COCINA)

Prendi ventresca di porco scorticata, lessala, e triala forte col coltello:
togli erbe odorifere in bona quantità, e pestale forte nel mortaio: mettivi
su del cascio fresco con esse et un poco di farina, e distempera con albume
d'ova, sì che sia duro.  E preso del grasso del porco fresco in bona
quantità, metti ne la padella, sí che bolla, e fane crispelli; e cotti, e
cavati, mettivi su del zuccaro.

The Translation:
MEAT FRITTERS, ALSO KNOWN AS TORTELLI AND RAVIOLI

Take streaky pancetta, boil it, and chop finely with a knife: take a good
quantity of aromatic herbs, and grind them in a mortar: add some fresh
cheese and a little flour , and add egg whies to make a firm mixture.  Then
take a good quantity of fresh pork fat, put it in the frying pan, and when
it boils, make fritters; and when they are cooked, take them out and
sprinkle with sugar.

The explanation:

"The names tortelli and ravioli were applied indiscriminately in the
fifteenth century, both to the filled pasta shapes that we know today, which
were always cooked in broth and served with grated parmesan, and to fritters
like these, which were fried and served with sugar or honey.  Admittedly the
basic mixtures were often similar - purées or pastes of cheese, eggs, cooked
vegetables or meat or fish - but the cooking processes were quite different.
It's not so much that people were careless in their use of language, but
there was general confusion until filled pasta became widespread and
appropriated the names.  As their name suggests, these medieval totally
derived from the larger torte, and had very similar fillings."

We have already discussed how there are recipes for fillings wrapped in
pasta and then boiled.  Does anyone else have a recipe for fritters where
they were called tortelli or ravioli?

Murkial


Christi Redeker
Digital Equipment Corporation
Colorado Springs, Colorado
719/592-4504
christi.redeker at digital.com

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