Cappellacci di Zucca Ferraresi

Cappellacci di zucca ferraresi are fresh stuffed pasta produced within the province of Ferrara, Italy. The dough combines soft-wheat flour type "00" and durum-wheat flour with eggs; the filling contains cooked flesh of Cucurbita moschata var. violina, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, and nutmeg. Each piece is rounded and folded to resemble the traditional straw hat of Ferrarese peasants, with a diameter of between 4 and 7 cm.

About this designation

Registered as a PGI on 26 March 2015 under file number PGI-IT-01324 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000015953), Cappellacci di zucca ferraresi are classified under pasta alimentare (Class 2.5). The entire production area is coextensive with the territory of the province of Ferrara. The specification fixes precise ingredient quantities per kilogram of finished product. The dough requires a blend of soft-wheat flour type "00" and durum-wheat flour, with soft-wheat flour predominating, at 250 g (tolerance ±50 g), combined with eggs or pasteurised egg product at 165 g (tolerance ±20 g). The filling requires 400 g (tolerance ±30 g) of cooked flesh of Cucurbita moschata, commonly called "Violina"; 122 g (tolerance ±40 g) of grated cheese; 60 g (tolerance ±20 g) of breadcrumbs; and 3 g (tolerance ±1 g) of nutmeg. Sugar may be added in unspecified quantity as an optional ingredient. The use of colorants and preservatives is not permitted. At the point of sale, each piece must have a diameter of between 4 and 7 cm and a weight of between 10 and 28 g. Preparation of the dough, filling, and finished product must all take place within the delimited area. Packaging must be completed within 60 minutes of the end of production. Net weight of packaged product must be no less than 100 g and no more than 2,000 g. Packaging must bear the EU PGI symbol, the name Cappellacci di zucca ferraresi, the producer's details, and the product logo.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 26 March 2015 under file number PGI-IT-01324, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000015953.
• The filling must contain Cucurbita moschata var. violina ("Violina" squash); no other squash variety is specified.
• The use of colorants and preservatives is expressly prohibited by the specification.
• Packaging must be completed within 60 minutes of the end of production to preserve physical and organoleptic characteristics.

Tasting notes

Emilian filled fresh pasta from Ferrara, distinctive hat-shape stuffed with butternut squash, Parmigiano, nutmeg, breadcrumbs. Tender egg-pasta wrapper, sweet-savory squash filling with characteristic Renaissance-style spicing.

HoReCa use

Served with butter and sage, with ragù bianco, or with Parmigiano shavings; a signature primo of Ferrarese restaurants.

Packaging

• vacuum-pack-fresh-250g
• vacuum-pack-fresh-500g
• frozen-bulk-1kg
• frozen-bulk-3kg