Region: Emilia-Romagna

            Returning again to Emilia-Romagna, we have a wonderful stuffed, baked pasta dish called cannelloni. Like many other stuffed pastas, which are typically made with fresh egg dough, it was historically a luxury or an occasional treat. Possible fillings include various cheeses, meats, and spinach. Here we have a spinach, ricotta and mascarpone filling, bound with eggs and flavored with parmesan, parsley and nutmeg, all encased in a rather interesting “pasta.” Rather than ready to stuff tubes or rolled out dough, a thin batter is cooked in a skillet, becoming a crepe-like circle that is then stuffed.

            Spinach and nutmeg, so common is pasta dishes today, were not present in Ancient Roman times. Spinach was introduced to Europe by the Arabs during the Medieval period. Nutmeg arrived around the same time or slightly later, either through trade or via the Crusader States in the Eastern Mediterranean. For centuries it was one of the most sought-after spices in the Western World. The search for it helped encourage the voyages of exploration from the 15^th Century onward. In the 16^th Century, it and other spices were so profitable that Portugal, which had a monopoly on the trade, was one of the richest countries in Europe, despite its relatively small population and peripheral location. In the 17^th Century the Dutch fought a series of bloody wars to seize the monopoly for themselves, only to lose it in the 18^th when British and French agents managed to smuggle seedlings of various types off the “Spice Islands” and transplant them elsewhere.

            It might seem strange to include nutmeg in a non-sweet dish, but it is fairly common in white sauces and cheese dishes, and for good reason. The aromatic, slightly bitter flavor complements and cuts through the richness really well. That is especially necessary when the pasta “crepes” contain butter, are stuffed with a three-cheese mixture, and baked with more butter and cheese. Naturally, they are delicious, although quite rich. While not exactly a diet food, they made a great occasional treat.