Square pasta parcels of ricotta and erbette chard, sauced with nothing but melted butter and a snowfall of Parmigiano Reggiano. Parma eats them year round and ritually on 23 June.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Tortelli d'erbetta are Parma's green-filled counterpart to the meat pastas of Bologna and Piacenza, documented across the province's farm kitchens for centuries. Erbette, a tender local chard, sets them apart from spinach imitations. On the eve of San Giovanni each 23 June the city holds tortellate, communal tortelli feasts under the stars, a custom osterias and courtyards still keep.
Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Milk
Tip from the editors. Drain the ricotta in a sieve for an hour first; a wet filling bursts the seams in the pot.
Trattoria Ai Due Platani in Coloreto holds Gambero Rosso's Tre Gamberi and a Bib Gourmand, ten minutes from Parma and booked out weeks ahead for tortelli.
Signature: Tortelli d'erbetta, Salumi con torta fritta, Gelato alla crema
Order: Tortelli d'erbetta, then cream gelato from the 1964 Carpigiani machine.
Tip: Reserve well in advance, even midweek. Finish with the house cream gelato, churned in a 1964 Carpigiani machine the owners refuse to retire.
I Tri Siochett prices tortelli d'erbetta around nine euro and seconds under fifteen at Parma's edge, Bib Gourmand cooking at trattoria-of-old prices.
Try: Tortelli d'erbetta
Tip: Michelin files it under 'on a budget' and the menu agrees: pasta at 9 euro, mains topping out near 15.
Trattoria Antichi Sapori's Bib Gourmand menu in Gaione holds tortelli at 12 euro and trippa alla parmigiana at 14, countryside prices ten minutes from Parma.
Try: Tortelli and trippa
Tip: Weekday lunch is the quiet, cheap slot; Sunday needs a booking and patience.
Trattoria Le Viole keeps its Michelin-listed tortelli at 12 euro and savarin at 14 north of Parma, white tablecloths without the white-tablecloth bill.
Try: Tortelli and savarin di riso
Tip: Two courses and a glass lands around 30 euro; the savarin di riso at 14 euro is the order.
Trattoria Corrieri keeps full trattoria service running to midnight every night of the week, Parma's safest answer to a 22:30 arrival with an appetite.
Try: Tortelli and torta fritta to midnight
Tip: The kitchen takes orders late without the reheated-tourist-menu trap; go for the torta fritta round even at 23:00.
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