There Are People Who Think That Pop Tarts Are Ravioli, And I’m Confused
Inspired by a study from Three Bridges, I sent out a poll on Foodbeast Twitter asking if y’all think Pop Tarts are ravioli or not, Tuesday. The filled pasta specialists found that just 18 percent of Americans think the toaster pastry fits that definition, so when a third of you guys responded “yes” to “Are Pop Tarts ravioli?,” I was flabbergasted at the stark difference.
Real question, y’all: Are Pop Tarts ravioli? Let’s discuss.
— foodbeast.com (@foodbeast) April 3, 2018
Granted, our sample was smaller than Three Bridges’, who polled about 1,000 people, compared to our mode’s 400-plus responses.
Still, it’s a big enough proportion of the Foodbeast fam to wonder: do these classic breakfast pastries fit under the same name as a traditional Italian pasta?
I asked around the Foodbeast office, and here’s what some of us have to say about that comparison.
Isai Rocha
“NO. Ravioli is pasta, Pop Tarts aren’t even remotely close to being pasta.”
Moriah Dobos
“I mean, yea, they’re like fruit ravioli.”
Elie Ayrouth
“No. Unless it’s full of pasta sauce, but then it’s a Hot Pocket.”
Ricky Zollinger
“I’m open to the argument. It’s crust filled with something, ravioli is pasta filled with something. I think so. Yeah, why not? But both sides could be argued.”
To me, personally, I think the notion of Pop Tarts being ravioli is wack, and I know quite a few Italians who would strongly agree. From a certain point of view, though, I can see how it makes sense. Both contain fillings, are surrounded by doughs made of flour and water, and even have special crimps to keep the insides from exploding out. Then again, so do dumplings, and we don’t consider those to be ravioli. Or, perhaps, ravioli are the Italian equivalent to dumplings?
My head hurts now just pondering all of those questions. But look, if you believe that Pop Tarts and ravioli are related, that’s chill, but I don’t know if I would go as far as a third of y’all and say that the American toaster favorite belongs in the same vein as Italian tradition.
