THE ITALIAN SAUCE EMPIRE

Italy is famous for fashion, architecture, art, music and, of course, cooking. Italy’s synonym for gastronomy is pasta, so we bring you the story of the most famous sauces that are the key to this well-prepared meal.

It is not easy to choose which form of pasta fits a particular sauce best, as Italians say there are more than 300 shapes. The basic rule is that pasta in a tube-like form is served with thick sauces. Thicker pasta goes along with creamy sauces better.

Paste were given names by their form: “fussili” are spindles, “canelloni” are tubes, “penne” are feathers, “linguine” are tabs, “farfalle” are scarves, “ravioli” are rape, “spaghetti” are threads, “Conchiglie” are shells, “tortellini” are chickens, “tagliatelle” are strips.

Italian sauces are different just like the forms of pasta, so there are countless combinations.

ARRABIATA

The Arrabiata sauce is an Italian specialty and one of the classics. Arrabbiata means “spicy” in Italian. They also call it “spicy pasta” because of the main ingredient – hot peppers. The secret is the use of dried hot peppers that are dried in Italy during the fall in almost every household. Apart from the peppers that the Italians call “pepperoncino”, the sauce contains tomato and onions. Fans of spicy food are always delighted with this specialty.

MARINARA

Marinara means “navy style”. This is a simple, classic sauce originating from Naples, with a tomato base. Besides it contains some basic ingredients such as onion, garlic, spicy herbs and extra virgin olive oil. It is often used as a basis for pizza as well, and it’s a good mix with rice, beefsteak or chicken.

CARBONARA

Another one with an interesting history. “Alla Carbonara” means “in the style of miners”. It is believed that miners used to prepare this pasta with bacon and cheese. This delicious creamy sauce contains eggs, hard-boiled sheep milk cheese produced in central Italy (Pecorino Romano PDO) or Parmesan, bacon, extra virgin olive oil, and pepper.

PESTO

This popular and decorative green sauce originates from Genoa, and is therefore known as the “pesto alla genoveese”. Basil gives it an attractive green color, additionally it contains pine nuts, parmesan or cheese, garlic, while olive oil gives it consistency. Apart from the green one, there is also a red one with the addition of red dried tomatoes, and is called “pesto alla siciliana” or “pesto rosso”.

BOLOGNESE

Bolognese is a meat sauce, extremely popular for the past three centuries. It originates from Bologna, as its name says. Its preparation is longer in relation to other sauces, as it contains minced beef, pancetta, vegetables and wine. Traditionally, it is served with flat pasta such as tagliatelle, and not spaghetti.

Italy is the world’s largest producer and consumer of pasta. The data shows around twenty kilograms of pasta are spent per person each year. Enjoy the tastes of Italy!

photo: google