Who doesn’t like spaghetti and meatballs? Spaghetti has its own family when we talk about delicious food. People around the globe enjoy it any time of the day, and it gives a great appetite at the time of dinner. After all, nothing is more comforting than a heaping plate of noodles in thousand flavors especially the marinara sauce. However, most people use to ask us when and where did it first being served.
A recent global survey by the charity Oxfam spaghetti dish, ahead of meal, rice, and pizza. It found the most famous dish among Europeans after pasta.
Spaghetti and meatballs are a part of all cultures around the world. Cuisine from the kottbullar of Sweden to the lion’s head balls of China to albondigas of Spain to Vietnamese Pho Bo Vien. But none is as perfectly entrenched in the world’s food culture as meatballs and spaghetti are. And the cuisine is often related to Italy. But, it has origins set in America. In fact, the US celebrates the national meatball day on March 9, every year.
According to the various researches, the cuisine popped as a result of Italian people immigrating to the US in the late 1880s. Most of the immigrants were from the southern part of Italy, including Sicily, Calabria, Campania, and Abruzzi, and were mainly destitute.
In Italy then and even now, the meatballs are called Polpette and were a staple part of food in many homes but were prominently smaller as that of the large American meatballs today. In fact, in Abruzzi, the meatballs made could only be the size of a marble. Then, it was made with the stale bread and minced meat ranging from turkey to fish. And in Italy, they are still traditionally served alone or with soups.Traditional vs. Modern Day Spaghetti
American meatballs are regularly much bigger than the Polpettes of Italy and also that cooking the spaghetti along with meatballs, there is a dispute about to put the balls in the spaghetti during cooking or just simply to put them on to the tomato sauce.
The American version exists with the Italian-Americans’ increased wealth to afford to buy extra meat, which allowed them to make their favorite, home, comfort food, and it became bigger and larger with the ratio of bread and meat tilting greatly in favor of more and more meat.
But very contrarily, the tomato sauce in which the meatballs are dipped and drenched, came into to the Italian cuisine because, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the tomatoes became readily available cheap cans in the US, making the sauce a good and fortunate part for the meatballs. (the sauce is also called as “sailor sauce” and formally “mariner sauce”)
Now, the addition of spaghetti is also rooted because of the ease in getting the spaghetti at that time, as it was the only pasta available to Italians in America. Most of the newly established Italian restaurants at the start of the 20th century added spaghetti to the cuisine since Americans had a fantasy to use to starch in their meals. Slowly or gradually but, spaghetti became a good ad-on in the composition of this dish and became a permanent part of inventing a new cuisine of spaghetti and meatballs.
If you live in Sumner, WA, the Aversanos is truly a perfect dining experience with a laid back and intriguing ambiance. The well-mannered and courteous staff will go to any length to make your lunch or dinner a memorable one with unique flavors bound to make you a fan of authentic Italian cuisine. Enjoy our delicious cuisine today!
Aversano’s Italian Restaurant & Bar
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6015 Parker Road, Sumner, WA 98390 | 253-863-3618 | AversanosSumner@Gmail.com