Tagliatelle: the Bolognese egg pasta loved all over the world

Tagliatelle: just saying the name doesn't you feel a shiver running down your back? This is because the name represents tradition. Tagliatelle is so ingrained in our daily lives that they are synonymous with home. In Spain, 'home' is said 'Hogar', a word that also means' hearth ', is extremely descriptive and itself communicates the warmth it represents. But why am I talking to you about the home? Because tagliatelle are one of those products that can be assimilated to the home, to the warmth of tradition, to the family, to the simplicity of a seasoned pasta dish and to the happiness that it transmits. In short, it is one of those foods that are not only food, but that are contained in the fan of this famous home, those things that warm you up because they remind you of home.

Tagliatelle are a type of egg pasta typical of Bolognese cuisine, loved and enjoyed all over Italy. They are made with few ingredients, but exceptional! They are delicious accompanied by tasty sauces based on meat, but also with fish or vegetables. The classic tagliatelle are those with meat sauce, but today there are many delicious variations for all palates.
But how are tagliatelle made?

Tagliatelle: the origins of a tradition

There is a story linked to the birth of tagliatelle, according to which it was Lucrezia Borgia's hair that inspired the creation of this type of pasta.
Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and sister of the leader Cesare Borgia. She was much talked about for her beauty, but also for her long blond ringed hair, between which she used to weave pearls, gems or flowers.
On the occasion of her third marriage, the one with Duke Alfonso I d'Este, Lucrezia crossed the peninsula from Rome to Ferrara in 1502.

In Bologna, the then gentleman Giovanni II Bentivoglio asked his personal cook, Mastro Zefirano, to organize a majestic dinner in honor of Lucrezia Borgia, who would stop in Bologna during her wedding trip.
At this memorable banquet, the cook presented a new type of pasta, blonde and ringed just like Lucrezia's hair, made by cutting traditional lasagna and giving them the shape of long golden stripes.
We also have the recipe for tagliatelle written by Bartolomeo Scappi, the papal cook who lived in the 16th century, author of the most famous recipe book of the 16th century. Here it is:
“Knead 2 pounds of fine flour with three eggs and warm water and mix well on a table for a quarter of an hour and then roll out thinly with a stick, and leave the dough to dry and cut the edges that are too big with a spur... and when everything is dry but not too much that would otherwise crease, sprinkle with flour and cut into strips with a wide and thin knife... As dry as they are, they make soups with broth meat fat, or with milk and butter, and cooked are served hot with cheese, sugar and cinnamon.”

And so this is where tagliatelle become a type of pasta of Bolognese origin and then of Italian tradition.

The recipe for tagliatelle

The recipe for making tagliatelle is simple because the historic main ingredient is one: the egg.
To prepare noodles for 4 people, it will be enough to make a fountain with 300 grams of flour and insert 3 eggs in the center, one at a time. Add a pinch of salt.
After beating the eggs with a fork, proceed to mix the flour as well, and knead with your hands for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and elastic. Then form a ball with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
After this time, resume the dough, divide it into 4 parts and roll it out one at a time with a rolling pin and pass it several times with a pastry cutter. When it is thin, sprinkle it with semolina or flour and let it dry for 5 minutes. Then fold the dough into a roll, flatten it gently with your hands and cut it with a knife into slices just under a centimeter wide.
Finally, gently separate the strips obtained by taking them from the ends and rolling them on the palm of your hand to form a nest.
Now they're ready to be cooked!

Today there are variants, in which instead of 00 flour, for example, whole wheat flour, chickpeas and chestnuts are used. There is also the variant that, in addition to flour, has a little cocoa!
Tagliatelle without eggs, with only water and flour, is a lighter recipe and for those who are intolerant to eggs.

And finally, here is a roundup of ideas for seasoning tagliatelle in addition to the typical Bolognese ragù: truffle, porcini mushrooms, pumpkin and bacon, radicchio and speck, fish ragù, sauce with meatballs and parsley, lamb ragù, walnut sauce.
Did your mouth water? Definitely to me.

Tagliatelle are home

A fast, infallible and ingenious system, a vitamin effect full of energy... a hot meal with ragù will fill you up for six days and even longer!
And like those of grandmother Pina, tagliatelle is the tradition on the table, a fairly simple recipe but full of homemade taste and flavors. A real treat for the palate, which not only fills your belly but also warms your heart!