Pappardelle: origins of the “lovely food”
Pappardelle are an egg-pasta related to the ancient Roman lagana (described by Marcus Gavius Apicius as wide and thin stripes of fresh egg pasta, ancestors of lasagna). Standard pappardelle are between 2 and 3 cm wide, but in some areas the width can go up to 8cm. They are originally from Tuscany and Umbria.
Their name originates, very likely, from the Latin word “pappare”, which means eating with delight. Another theory links the name’s origin to the Provencal word “papard” (food), plus the Italian suffix “elle”, which indicates endearment (i.e. lovely food). Other forms of the word are still found in Italian, such as another Tuscan dish called Pappa al Pomodoro (tomato and bread soup), and for the baby word for food (pappa).
The ancient, peasant, papperdelle were made with chestnut flour and water. this because during the feudalism, the local lords and their vassals had control over all the crops produced, and peasants were left with having to gather and create food from sources that were snubbed by the aristocracy. To this day one can still find some of these ancient meals in bread such as the Castagnaccio (again, from Tuscany, made with chestnut flour, pine nuts, and rosemary; or the Farinata di Ceci, a focaccia from Genoa made with chickpeas flour and olive oil.
In the XVI century, the high-rank cook Domenico Romoli described the pappardelle as “soft, delicates, and thin lasagna”, and served them to the aristocracy and the Florentine cardinals’ court.
The recipe for pappardelle is simply 00 flour and eggs, although in some areas of Umbria dry white wine is added to the dough. They are traditionally served with very rich, strong sauce, made with game: wild boar or hare ragu. Often, pappardelle are also served with a delicious mushrooms sauce, especially in Umbria, region famous for its prestigious truffles.
