Sfoglina

Sfoglina, Sfoglinois someone who makessfoglia, a form of Italian fresh pasta resembling a sheet made only with flour and eggs.A sfoglina is historically seen as a middle-aged woman who rolls and stretches out the dough with a rolling pin called a mattarello, on a large wooden pastry board called a taglieri. Their typical handmade creations aretagliatelle,tortelliniand other egg-pasta, also many times stuffed pasta like tortelloni or cappeletti.These are usually served with mortadella in Bologna and often with ragu sauce.
The Sfoglina tradition comes from theEmilia-Romagnaregion, wheresfoglinais also called “azdora” or “zdoura” in bothEmilianandBolognesedialects. The plural issfoglini.Bolognais the city where this figure and the art ofsfoglia(pastry) was born. Its housewives used to say, “You will know when you did a goodsfogliabecause if you lift it in the direction of light, you will be able to see theSanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca”.
The tradition ofsfogliniis centuries old and was present in every Emilian family. The tradition of home-made freshpastais still very widespread.Sfoglinialso work in restaurants andtrattorias, although less often. Nevertheless, she still represents the cookery art of Emilia-Romagna, as made by itsartisans.
Fresh pastais usually produced by sfoglinas in a small laboratory that is simply furnished. While they are working, they usually wear a white uniform with an apron and listen to Italian songs.
The sense of community is strong in the laboratories. They create an environment redolent of Italian domestic culture. These conditions are important in order to guarantee the authenticity of the product.Sfoglina is associated with festivities and Sunday celebrations where women together prepare the meal for the family. This convention can be seen at the amateur level as well from the name of the fresh pasta competitions, the most famous is “Miss Tagliatella”.
The practice of sfoglina is not regulated, either nationally or regionally. Supporters of professionalization claim that the lack of regulation stems from the fact that it is considered a typically female job and as such does not qualify.
The idea of professionalisation dates from 2004 whenFranco Grillini, aParliamentarianfrom Emilia-Romagna, submitted a two-part bill, one involving the creation of a committee for the protection of the Emilia-Romagnan sfoglia and another to regulate the profession of “sfoglina” and “sfoglino”.
Moreover, to Grillini it was important to free sfoglia from its traditional stereotypes: opening the profession to men. Therefore, according to Grillini's vision, such a law should have enhanced the dignity and prestige of the “sfoglinas” craft. The proposal was ultimately dismissed.
Another attempt at regulation was made in 2017 by thendemocraticsenatorSergio Lo Giudice. He proposed training courses and the accreditation of sfoglinas and sfoglinos at a regional level. Lo Giudice's bill was also rejected.
Cultural intermediaries and producers have allied to promote consumption of local, traditional and sustainable produce.Initiatives to promote sfoglinas’ work, the inauguration of VSB (acronym of “Vecchia Scuola Bolognese”)represents an attempt to restore dignity and visibility to the craft. VSB is a space in Bologna, dedicated to food culture. It is considered the house of sfoglinas, under the guide of sfoglina Alessandra Spinsi. The school offers many courses for beginners and professionals to learn traditional cooking.
The school features the activities of its graduates, referrered to as "sfoglini", in 17 countries on its website.
In United StatesWashington, DCthere is a restaurant,Sfoglina Pasta, byFabio Trabocchiwhich isBib Gourmand.This restaurant Sfloglina has goat cheese ravioli diMarchenot only pasta from Emilia-Romagna.It is named Sfloglina for the matriarchs who traditionally hand-made fresh pasta.
The Standard: Pasta A-Zhttps://a.co/d/b1a3cYC