{"id":604,"date":"2023-01-22T16:23:16","date_gmt":"2023-01-22T16:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stopitasounding.com\/?p=604"},"modified":"2023-02-05T15:27:59","modified_gmt":"2023-02-05T15:27:59","slug":"tortellini-like-venus-bellybutton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stopitasounding.com\/it\/2023\/01\/tortellini-like-venus-bellybutton\/","title":{"rendered":"Tortellini like Venus’ bellybutton?!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve all heard of tortellini, and if you’re fortunate enough you’ve even tasted them. They are indeed a staple of Italian cuisine, specifically from the food valley<\/em> region of Emilia Romagna<\/a>, and are often enjoyed in broth (tortellini in brodo<\/em>) with plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. So, what does it have to do with a bellybutton?<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The
The Birth of Venus by Botticelli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Legend claims that tortellini were inspired by the goddess Venus\u2019 navel. An Italian medieval legend tells how Venus and Zeus, weary one night after their involvement in a battle between Bologna and Modena, arrive at a tavern in a small town called Castelfranco Emilia on the outskirts of Bologna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After eating a hearty dinner and becoming slightly drunk, they decide to share a bedroom. The innkeeper, captivated after watching them, decides to creep to their room and peek through the keyhole of the bedroom door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he is peeking, all he can see through the keyhole is the naval (bellybutton) of Venus. This vision leaves him spellbound, that he immediately rushes to the kitchen and creates a pasta inspired by Venus\u2019 navel. The tortellini are then born.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Re-enactment<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now, every year during the second week of September, the town of Castelfranco Emilia celebrates this famous innkeeper with a Tortellini Festival (Sagra di San Nicola<\/em>). Intended to keep the pasta tradition going, people dress in Renaissance costumes and on a stage, the legend is re-enacted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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