Agnolini are a type of stuffed egg pasta originating from the

province of Mantua The Province of Mantua ( it, provincia di Mantova; Mantovano, Lower Mantovano: ; Upper Mantovano: ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Mantua. It is bordered to the north-east by the Province ...

(in the Mantuan dialect they are commonly called "agnulìn" or "agnulì") and are oftentimes eaten in soup or broth. The recipe for Agnolotti was first published in 1662 by Bartolomeo Stefani, a cook at the court of the

Gonzaga family ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates = Ducal Palace (Mantua)Ducal Palace (Nevers) , titles = * Prince of Arches * Duke of Montferrat * Duke of Mantua * Duke of Guastalla * Duke of Nevers * Duk ...

, in his book '' The art of cooking well''. Agnolini's recipe is passed down from generation to generation by Mantuan families. Agnolini are the main ingredient of soups of the Mantuan cuisine, usually consumed during holidays and important occasions. According to Mantuan tradition during

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipati ...

chicken broth with the Agnolini alongside other traditional Mantuan dishes such as the Agnolini's soup Sorbir d'agnoli, with abundant addition of

parmesan cheese Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' is ...

are consumed. Sorbir, to which red wine is added, generally

Lambrusco Lambrusco (; ) is the name of both an Italian red wine grape and a wine made principally from said grape. The grapes and the wine originate from four zones in Emilia-Romagna and one in Lombardy―principally around the central provinces of Mo ...

, represents the opening to the Christmas lunch. Agnolini differ from the classic Emilian

tortellini ''Tortellini'' are pasta originally from the Italian region of Emilia (in particular Bologna and Modena). Traditionally they are stuffed with a mix of meat (pork loin, raw prosciutto, mortadella), Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, egg and nutmeg and se ...

, to which they are similar, due to differences in the ingredients needed for the pasta dough, as well as in shape.

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See also