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National Tortellini Day (February 13)

Check out the weird holiday National Tortellini Day on February 13. Learn the history of tortellini, and get ideas on how to celebrate.

One weird holiday on February 13 is National Tortellini Day. Check out the other weird February holidays!

History of National Tortellini Day

Tortellini is an Italian pasta that is made by wrapping thin, fine pasta around fillings such as meat, cheese (ususally a blend of a blend of prosciutto, mortadella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano), and ham. It is then served with a variety of sauces or even soup.

Tortellini is known as the dish of Bologna, Italy, and it is usually reserved for grand or formal occasions, such as a wedding or a feast. Tortellini is typically paired with red wine. It is in the family of stuffed pasta like ravioli.

This pasta has a few legends about how it was created. It’s said that in the 1500s in medieval Italy, the two Roman gods Venus and Jupiter spent the night in a tavern in Bologna. The tavern keeper was so entranced by Venus’s beauty, he tried to spy on her through her keyhole but was only able to see her navel. He then promptly recreated it as pasta.

A similar story features the infamous Lucrezia Borgia (a femme fatale) as the woman who was spied upon. In this legend, only her navel was seen as well. This is one reason why a nickname for tortellini is ambelico, which means belly button.

The earliest recipe of tortellini was in 1570 for a dish called tortelleti, which was created by Bartolomeo Scappi. It was then renamed to tortellini by Vincenzo Tanara in the 17th century.

In 1974, the official recipe for tortellini was registered at the Chamber of Commerce in Bologna, Italy.

Nowadays, there is an organization in Balogna called The Learned Order of the Tortellini. They wear special hats at their meetings which are red and gold and shaped like tortellini, along with a gold tortellini on a ribbon that hangs around their necks.

Ideas for National Tortellini Day

Here are some delicious ways to make tortellini to celebrate today’s weird holiday! You can make them from scratch yourself, or purchase them store-bought.

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