Spaghetti and meatballs explained

Spaghetti and meatballs
Country:	United States
Region:	New York City
Associated Cuisine:	Italian-American
Course:	Main course
Main Ingredient:	Spaghetti, tomato sauce, meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian-American pasta dish consisting of spaghetti, tomato sauce, and meatballs.^[1]

Originally inspired by similar dishes from southern Italy, the modern version of spaghetti and meatballs was developed by Italian immigrants in the United States. However, combinations of pasta with meat date back at least to the Middle Ages,^[2] and pasta (including long pasta) dishes with tomato sauce and different types of meatballs are documented in certain Italian regions and in modern Italian cookbooks as maccheroni alle polpette^[3] (translated as 'spaghetti and meatballs'^[4]) and maccheroni alla chitarra con polpette, though these dishes are often found only in particular regions and towns.^[5]

History

Spaghetti and meatballs was popular among Italian immigrants in New York City, who had access to a more plentiful meat supply than in Italy.^[6]

• In 1888, Juliet Corson of New York published a recipe for pasta and meatballs and tomato sauce.^[7]
• In 1909, a recipe for "Beef Balls with Spaghetti" appeared in American Cookery, Volume 13.^[8]
• The National Pasta Association (originally named the National Macaroni Manufacturers Association) published a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs in the 1920s.^[9]
• In 1931, Venice Maid in New Jersey was selling canned "spaghetti with meatballs in sauce".^[10]
• In 1938, the exact phrase "spaghetti and meatballs" appeared in a list of canned foods produced by Ettore Boiardi, later known as Chef Boyardee, in Milton, Pa.

Italian writers and chefs often mock the dish as pseudo-Italian or non-Italian,^[11] because in Italy meatballs are smaller and are only served with egg-based, baked pasta.^[12] However, various types of pasta with meat are part of the culinary tradition of Abruzzo, Apulia, Sicily, and other parts of southern Italy. A recipe for rigatoni and meatballs can be found in Il cucchiaio d'argento (The Silver Spoon), a comprehensive Italian cookbook.

In Abruzzo, chitarra alla teramana is a standard first course made with spaghetti alla chitarra, small meatballs (polpettine or pallottine), and a meat or vegetable ragù.^[13]

Other dishes that have similarities to spaghetti and meatballs include pasta seduta and maccaroni azzese in Apulia.^{[14] [15] [16]}

Some baked pasta dishes from Apulia combine pasta and meat where meatballs, mortadella, or salami are baked with rigatoni, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese, then covered with a pastry top.^[17]

Other pasta recipes include slices of meat rolled up with cheese, cured meats, and herbs (involtini in Italian), and braciole that are cooked within sauce but pulled out to be served as a second course.

See also

• Italian-American cuisine
• List of pasta
• List of pasta dishes
• List of meatball dishes
• Meatball sandwich

Further reading

• Origins of spaghetti and meatballs in the Atlantic

External links

• Spaghetti and meatballs recipe on All Recipes.com

Notes and References

1. Book: Dickie, John . Delizia!: The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food . 2008 . Simon and Schuster . 978-1416554004 . 225–226 . March 1, 2013.
2. Karima Moyer-Nocchi, "Italian macaroni and meatballs", The Eternal Table November 27, 2021
3. [Ada Boni]
4. Ada Boni, The Talisman Italian Cook Book, New York, 1950, translation, excluding non-Italian dishes (see p. v) and with Italian-American dishes marked with an asterisk (see p. v) of the 15th Italian edition, p. 154-155
5. Web site: Ricetta Maccheroni alla chitarra con polpette . Il Cucchiaio D'Argento . 2021-04-19.
6. News: Italian-American Food Never Claimed To Be Italian, So You Can Stop Hating On It. Frankie Celenza. Frankie Celenza. 2018-07-03. HuffPost. BuzzFeed. New York.
7. Book: Corson, Juliet . Family Living on $500 a Year: A Daily Reference-book for Young and Inexperienced Housewives . Harper & Brothers . 1888 . 43 .
8. Book: American Cookery . 13 . Whitney Publications . 1909 .
9. Book: America's Favorite Recipes: The Melting Pot Cuisine, Part 2 . 2009 . 157.
10. Venice Maid . Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office . 633 . 712 . United States Patent Office . 1950 .
11. News: Filippo . Piva . Gli spaghetti con le polpette e gli altri falsi miti della cucina italiana all'estero . Wired Italia. Milan. . 29 July 2014 .
12. Web site: Pasta . July 1986 . The Atlantic.
13. Web site: Abruzzo's Traditional Foods From Mountain to Sea. March 30, 2017. ITALY Magazine . Rebecca . Winke.
14. Book: Oretta Zanini de Vita . Encyclopedia of Pasta . 2009 . 978-0520944718 . 315 . registration .
15. Web site: Accademia Italiana della Cucina . Maccaroni Azzese . 2014-12-20 . 2016-03-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025809/http://www.accademiaitalianacucina.it/en/content/maccaroni-azzese . dead .
16. Web site: Ricetta Spaghetti con le polpettine - Le ricette di Paciulina. 4 September 2012. Le Ricette di Paciulina.it. 23 September 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141220055119/http://www.paciulina.it/ricette/spaghetti-con-le-polpettine/. 20 December 2014.
17. "Pasta asciutta alla pugliese", in Touring Club of Italy, La cucina del Bel Paese, p. 292