Spread
It can be theorized that Martin Luther's Lutheranism religious movement away from the Catholic church helped spread the idea of the ravioli from its point of origin, Italy, into other countries, where new versions and interpretations were created. After the Thirty Years’ War from 1618-1648, Germany’s population dove from 17 to 10 million people, and many of the common people “were completely uprooted from their homes and origins” (Heinzelmann, pg. 12). Thus, the food that had previously been unique to different regions around Germany was now being tossed around, like a giant mixed salad. The ideas and recipes of different families and communities mingled. Around the same time, the world trade shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic side, and England and the Netherlands were the two main trading countries with Germany. This means that trade routes ran in different directions (now east to west and south to north) so recipes were undoubtedly shared, altered, and re-invented along these paths. Furthermore, the Thirty Years' War culminated in the separation of Austria from Germany. This accentuated the food differences between the north and south sections of Germany and eventually the Maultaschen tradition developed most apparently in the southern region of Swabia, where the production of wheat was most abundant.
In 1810, free trade exchange was first officially permitted between different areas of Germany, especially noticed between cities and countryside. This too probably augmented the spread of the Maultaschen as well as the spread of its ingredients. Before the Revolution of 1848 in the south of Germany (where Swabia is located), flour-based dishes added with cheese and fat were common for the labor workers. Heinzelmann notes that “in the south, influences from Italy were noticeable in the cuisine” thus supporting the theory that the Maultaschen was a variation derived from the Italian ravioli. Around this time, Germans started incorporating local herbs like parsley, celeriac, and chives into their cooking because importing more exotic spices was deemed too expensive and less convenient. During the Revolution, meat was rarely enjoyed and most common people could only afford potatoes. In 1871, with the founding of the German Empire, huge migrations headed towards new industries occurred, pushing thousands of Germans mainly towards the South and the West. In 1874, the first refrigerator was invented by Carl con Linde, which allowed for even greater food distribution through transportation and the possibility of preserving leftovers, which could be used as the filling for the Maultaschen.
