Tortelloni are similar to
tortellini but are larger in size, and their filling contains no meat. In
Modena,
tortelloni (
tùrtlòun in the Modena dialect) are filled with ricotta cheese.
Cappellacci (called
caplaz in the
Ferrara dialect) are a variation of
tortelloni typical of Ferrara,
Reggio Emilia and
Mantua. They are filled with
pumpkin, whose sweet flavour is enhanced by grated amaretto. The name
Cappellacci (from
cappelli, meaning "hats") refers to the wide-brimmed straw hats worn by farmers in the Ferrara countryside, where pumpkins are widely grown. Another variation is
balanzoni,
tortelloni that are green in colour due to the use of spinach in the dough. Finally,
tortellacci are a variation of
tortelloni, but they are larger and filled with ricotta or other cheeses, such as
pecorino or
gorgonzola. When traditionally made with ricotta and herbs, after boiling them,
tortelloni are often stir-fried with melted butter and sage leaves, and covered with grated Parmesan. They can also be eaten with tomato sauce. As one of the few northern Italian pasta dishes with no meat content, it is a traditional dish for
Christmas Eve. ==See also==