No Spaghetti Bolognese in Bologna

Thank you Frank II. You have saved us from an embarrassing situation this summer as my husband likes a good bolognese sauce and now he’ll know how to properly order it and won’t be surprised when the ragù arrives on tagliatelle.

Ragu tagliatelle is served many places and is what most folks consider Bolognese. It’s fun to try various places and see their take on the recipe. Recommended the BBC series Italy Unpacked. The episode called Art of the Feast features making ragu in Bologna. YouTube has the series.

Oh, sure. Next you'll tell me that French Fries didn't originate in France.

One account that I read theorized that spaghetti bolognese was created after British & American servicemen passed through the area in WW-2 and dined on Tagliatelle al Ragu. When they returned home, they asked Italian chefs in their home areas to recreate the dish and the Bolognese version began from that. The sauce between the two versions is somewhat different, with the Bolognese version heavier on tomato while the Ragu version is heavier on the meat. The egg-based tagliatelle pasta is used specifically for the Ragu version as the thick meat sauce sticks better to the thick al dente strands. This sounds like as reasonable an explanation as any.

I'm not sure there's a standard recipe for the Ragu sauce, as it seems to vary somewhat from one restaurant to another. Some versions use milk or wine in addition to the other ingredients.

I've tried both types and much prefer the Tagliatelle al Ragu version, and I was sure to have that often during my visit to Bologna. Hopefully the Mayor doesn't try to discourage people from ordering the Ragu version.

Ken is right. The mistake is asking for Spaghetti, a pasta from Naples that was almost unknown in Bologna till the late 40s. Since it's been rich for centuries, Bologna is the kingdom of egg based tagliatelle.
I assume the first generation of italo-american came from the poor regions of southern Italy, so they added tomatoes to the notorious "Genovese" sauce made in Naples and served it with the only "long pasta" they knew.

More or less that's what happened with spaghetti and meatballs, that's unheard of in Italy but it's the rich (quite disgusting) sibling of a leftovers dish made in rural Campania and Puglia.

Bolognesi of course do not call their ragôut "bolognese sauce". Even if They think the version eaten abroad to be inedible, after all it's just minced meat with tomatoes and onions... not rocket science!

David, consider it done. My French friends were astonished that they were called French fries. 'But they are Belgian....'

Loved reading this. Thank you for the insight

You've just given me my next foodie trip.
Denmark and order a danish.
Frankfurt for a frankfurter.
Hamburg for a hamburger.
Braunschweig for some braunschweiger.
Wien and have a wiener.
Finally Bologna for some baloney.

I don't know if this is the "official" version, but it sure does look good......

https://www.businessinsider.com/tagliatelle-al-ragu-recipe-2015-8

I might give this a try one of these days.

Don'f forget (multiple countries) Limburg for cheese.

The ragu recipe shared by Ken is representative....I add a bit of chicken stock to mine and use venison instead of beef. I cook/render the pancetta first and until nearly crisp. It is removed from the pan and then the onion, carrot, celery and a couple cloves of garlic are cooked down in the same pan. The meat should be cooked (I use a separate pan) and then combined with the pancetta, veggies, stock, wine and tomato.... paparadilli or tagliatelle are the correct pasta's to use...
This and carbonara are great simple lunches to enjoy.

The weiners in Vienna are pretty good, but not as good as they make at the German Sausage Company in Phoenix!

I find it safest to only order things that are actually on the menu.

That does it! If I can't get my favorite, spaghettis bolognese in Italy, then I'll just have to rely on the pepperoni pizza. I am sure that's on the menu.

We recommend Giusi's ragu from Frances Mayes' "In Tuscany" book.

Visited Bologna once, it was OK, but I wouldn't go back.

Soooo many people I will share this with! 🤣🤣🤣

In a highly recommended eatery in Bologna we were served white bean and ham soup as a starter. Bologna is known for curing ham. The soup was excellent. I would prefer bean/ham soup in the winter, it was summer. Do not remember the pasta dish but I sure remember that bean/ham soup.

Some US menus list Ragu/Bolognese with several meats and it is prepared with primarily ground beef. Yuck!

There's a recipe for ragu ?? I thought it just came from a jar. :-)