The 1282 written reference to lasagna appears in what Bolognese records?

The 1282 written reference to lasagna appears in the Memoriali Bolognesi.

The reference occurs in a ballad transcribed by a Bolognese notary, rather than in a cookbook or literary epic. The Memoriali Bolognesi were notarial records containing documents and verses, making them an important window onto everyday language and culture in medieval Bologna.

The wording is significant because it is an early written use of the lasagna name, not necessarily the first appearance of the dish in history. Medieval lasagna could differ greatly from the layered, tomato-based casserole familiar today. Tomatoes had not yet reached Europe, and early versions were associated with sheets of dough, cheese, spices, broth, or animal fat.

A nearby 1284 reference appears in Salimbene di Adam’s Cronica, where the phrase “lagana cum caseo” means lasagna with cheese. The two records are often discussed together, but they are separate sources and dates.