Tortelloni di ricotta in burro e salvia are Bologna's vegetarian sister to tortellini: larger egg-pasta parcels stuffed with ricotta, Parmigiano and parsley, tossed in brown butter and crispy sage leaves.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Tortelloni are the larger, ricotta-stuffed cousin of tortellini, a Friday and Lenten-day pasta in the Catholic calendar that became year-round osteria standard. The Accademia Italiana della Cucina deposited the legal Bolognese tortellone recipe in 1990: fresh cow's-milk ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, parsley and nutmeg, hand-folded into 10g parcels. The traditional sauce is burro fuso e salvia (melted butter with crispy sage), and the canonical garnish is more grated Parmigiano on top. Sfoglia Rina, Trattoria Anna Maria and Trattoria Meloncello all serve them, often as the second pasta course in a long Sunday lunch.
Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Drain the ricotta overnight in a cloth-lined sieve; wet filling tears the pasta. Pull the pan off the heat when the sage hisses.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Why locals love it: Sfoglina counter with hand-rolled pasta sold by weight; the dine-in carte takes walk-ins for the same pasta the restaurant kitchens cook.
Tip: Walk-in for the dine-in until 14:00; take-away pasta runs from 5 euros per 250g and the queue thins after 11:30.
Trattoria Anna Maria in Bologna near Via Zamboni is the city's most-photographed sfoglia trattoria, run by Anna Maria Monari since 1985 with hand-rolled tortellini.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Tortellini in brodo, Lasagne verdi
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi, gnocco fritto.
Tip: Book a week ahead for dinner. Lunch is calmer and the sfogline still hand-roll pasta in the window between services.
Why locals love it: At the foot of the 666-arch portico up to San Luca; the post-Sunday-walk lunch destination that requires a 25-minute portico stroll first.
Tip: Book a week ahead for Sunday lunch; the portico walk from Porta Saragozza is the traditional pre-lunch passeggiata.
Da Cesari in Bologna's Centro Storico is the four-generation Carati family trattoria, operating since 1955, a steady room for the canonical Bolognese carte.
Signature: Tagliatelle al ragu, Cotoletta alla bolognese, Tortellini in brodo
Order: Tagliatelle al ragu, cotoletta alla bolognese, friggione on the side.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead by phone; the family carte does not change and the wine cellar is run by Massimiliano Carati personally.
Why locals love it: Saragozza's 28-seat osteria from Daniele Minarelli and Valeria Tonelli; the canonical Emilian carte at full editorial precision.
Tip: Book three weeks ahead by phone; the room seats 28 and the lunch service has the easiest tables.
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