I remember as a kid, I LOVED the Chef Boyardee Beef Raviolis. Even into my 30s I found myself eating them with Saltines. Now, my favorite is a tossup between Pumpkin & Mushroom Sage.
Here are some things you may not know about them.
- The first mentions of Ravioli was in the 14th century Venus.
- The word ravioli is from an old Italian word riavvolgere (“to wrap”)
- Canned ravioli was pioneered by Chef Boyardee in the 1930’s
- “Fresh” packed ravioli lasts up for several week while fresh made lasts for just a few days.
- Italian tradition is to serve vegetarian ravioli, particularly on Fridays. Meats is served as a side or later in the meal.
- Ravioli appears in In India, a popular dish called Gujiya is similar to ravioli, however it is prepared sweet, with a filing of dry fruits, sugar and a mixture of sweet spices, then deep fried in vegetable oil.
- Ravioli nudi, or “naked ravioli”, refers to simply the filling without the pasta shell.
- Jewish cuisine has a similar dish called Kreplach, a pocket of meat or other filling covered by egg pasta.