Ravioli; Ravioles; Rabioles

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By Madeleine Kamman

Published 1997

  • About

Raviula is the name given in the alpine Franco-Provençal languages infused with ancient Ligurian used on both the eastern and western slopes of the western Alps to a small ball of hashed food. Is it possibly of the same origin as ravioli in Italy? In Italy ravioli were originally small egg and vegetable dumplings (gnocchi, ravioli nudi) poached in liquid, which more than likely became our modern ravioli when some unknown culinary genius had the idea of enclosing them between two layers of pasta dough. As a matter of interest the colloquial word rabioles used in some formerly Ligurian parts of France means leftovers, which are often used in high alpine villages to make ravioles, tiny rectangular raviolilike pasta pillows filled with finely chopped leftovers of meat mixed with cheese or plain cheese.