Tagliatelle


Tagliatelle and tagliolini are a traditional type of pasta from the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions of Italy. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine and are typically about wide. Tagliatelle can be served with a variety of sauces, though the classic is a meat sauce or Bolognese sauce. Tagliolini is another variety of tagliatelle that is long and cylindrical in shape, not long and flat.
The name is from the Italian verb “tagliare”, meaning “to cut.”
Both tagliolini and tagliatelle are traditionally made with egg pasta. The traditional ratio is one egg to one hundred grams of Durum wheat semolina.
Bavette are also available, and are thinner than tagliatelle; an even thinner version is bavettine.

Origins

Legend has it that tagliatelle was created by a talented court chef, who was inspired by Lucrezia d'Este's hairdo on the occasion of her marriage to Annibale II Bentivoglio, in 1487. In reality, this was a joke invented by humorist Augusto Majani in 1931.
The recipe was called tagliolini di pasta e sugo, alla maniera di Zafiran and it was served on silver plates. Over the years, tagliatelle has become considered a more common food.
A glass case in the Bologna Chamber of Commerce holds a solid gold replica of a piece of tagliatelle, demonstrating the correct dimensions of 1 millimeter by 6 millimeters.

Dishes

The texture is porous and rough, making it ideal for thick sauces, generally made with beef, veal, or pork, and occasionally with rabbit, as well as several other less rich options, such as briciole e noci, uovo e formaggio, or simply pomodoro e basilico.