Cappellacci di zucca ferraresi

Cappellacci di zucca ferraresi are a fresh filled egg pasta with an EU protected geographical indication (PGI, Italian IGP), made in the province of Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna. They are round and folded to imitate the straw hat once worn by farmers around Ferrara, and filled with butternut squash.

Per kilogram of finished product the traditional recipe uses about 250 g of a mix of '00' common wheat flour and durum wheat flour, with more common than durum wheat, and about 165 g of eggs or pasteurised egg. The filling is about 400 g of cooked pulp of the 'Violina' butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata), 122 g of grated cheese, 60 g of breadcrumbs and 3 g of nutmeg, each within set tolerances; sugar may be added. Colourings and preservatives are forbidden.

Each cappellaccio is 4–7 cm across and weighs 10–28 g. The dough has the yellow of egg pasta and the filling the colour of ripe squash. The taste is a clear contrast between sweet squash and salty cheese, with a hint of nutmeg. The dough and filling are prepared and the pasta filled and finished in the province, and it must be packed within 60 minutes of the end of production.

Butternut squash has been grown around Ferrara since 1570, and a technique for working egg pasta was described in 1549 by Cristoforo da Messisbugo, steward to the Este dukes. Packs weigh 100 g to 2 kg and carry the EU PGI symbol, the name 'Cappellacci di zucca ferraresi', the producer's details and the product logo.