Preparing fresh pasta was a ritual performed by the Azdora (“zdoura” in the dialect of Bologna), who was in fact the mistress of the kitchen.
In the collective imagination, the Azdora was the true backbone of the family, usually depicted wearing an apron, hands covered in dough and a scarf in her hair.
As a matter of fact, Azdora, in the dialect of Bologna, meant housekeeper or ruler or the one in charge of the housekeeping.
The Azdora belongs now to the past and it’s been “replaced” by its professional counterpart the Sfoglina. The name Sfoglina comes from the Italian word sfoglia which means phyllo dough.
You can find Sfogline in restaurants and trattorias where, thanks to their expertise, they can work fresh dough to perfection to prepare hand-made pasta according to tradition.