Italians are hardcore about their food. Dare if you may question whether Town X makes better (fill-in-the-blank) than Town Y and you’ll get an earful of the deep-seated pride and honor welded to local cuisine. It’s a given; from entire regions down to the tiniest borgo, food pride is as robust as Roman concrete. Despite this truth, most Italians would agree that other than their mamma’s kitchen, the mother lode of food is found in Emilia Romagna, Italy’s revered “food valley.” 

When you think about the food treasures that originate in Emilia Romagna – Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Balsamico di Modena to name a few – it’s obvious the pasta offerings will be spectacular. Meet the magnificent masterpiece called tortellini. Broadly defined, this egg-based stuffed pasta comes in a limited variety of shapes and fillings and is traditionally served floating cloud-like in a sumptuous broth or lolling in a shallow sea of never-too-much butter.