When you hear the words “priest strangler,” you’d be forgiven for assuming it’s the name of the latest hit true crime podcast or prestige TV thriller. But it’s actually something much tastier — a pasta, one you can try at one of the greatest Italian restaurants in NYC, Rezdôra. Now, we know there are dozens of different kinds of pasta and ideal uses for each, so what exactly is “priest strangler” pasta?
“Priest strangler” pasta, or “priest choker” pasta, is made of just flour and water and rolled into long, twisty noodles. It’s more often reffered to by its Italian name, strozzapreti, and is a type of “lunghetti,” or long pasta, similar to cavatelli. It originated in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, and is believed to have been made there since the 1700s — it would have been an important staple in the wintertime, when people’s chickens didn’t produce many eggs. A Romagna housewife who would have been responsible for making strozzapreti was called an “azdora,” and Rezdôra’s name refers specifically to “the “head of the household,” which was often considered the woman rolling out the dough for the family’s pasta. Rezdôra features Emilia-Romagna cuisine in particular — so the region’s signature pasta had to feature on the menu. The Michelin-starred spot serves “i bianco neri strozzapreti,” with Emilian tomato sauce, crab, and chives.
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The Origins Of Strozzapreti And Its Preparation
Interior of Rezdôra restaurant – Rezdôra / Facebook
Strozzapreti is a pasta with an ominous history, as you might have guessed by the whole “priest strangler” moniker. Emilia-Romagna was a part of Italy’s Church State until the country was unified as the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The clerical — and homicidal — connotation of this lunghetti isn’t known for sure, but may have something to do with how local priests would collect taxes from families in the 1800s. They’d come around lunchtime and would also expect a meal. If people didn’t have money, the priests might take things from their farm like eggs — an ingredient absent from strozzapreti. It’s thought the pasta was shaped after the ropes by which criminals were hanged, or that the women of the house wished the priest would choke on the meal. Luckily, at Rezdôra, you can focus on the deliciousness of this pasta sans murderous thoughts.
When Stanley Tucci visited the town of Rimini in Emilia-Romagna on his docuseries “Searching for Italy,” it introduced the tasty, toothsome pasta to millions. “Priest strangler” pasta has been enjoyed throughout generations quite simply, with just olive oil and parmesan cheese. To really experience strozzapreti, try it this way first, with one of the highest-quality olive oils and authentic parmesan. It’s relatively easy to make this pasta yourself, and you can go on to toss it with your favorite veggies, cheeses, meats, and seafood.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.