“Spaghetti Bolognese” doesn’t exist. Some people would call it a ‘Britalian’ dish, a dish of Italian origin that has been adapted to the tastes of English people and thus renamed. However, it can be found in e.g. Germany and many other northern European countries like Sweden or Denmark as well. Calling it ‘Britalian’ could rightfully be considered unfair.
The only country where it curiously can’t be found is Italy. If you manage to spot it on a menu there, chances are you found a non-Italian restaurant (in defiance of any claims to the opposite this restaurant might make).
The original dish is called “Tagliatelle con Ragù alla Bolognese” and comes from the northern region of Italy called Emilia Romagna. It draws it’s name from the city of Bolgona, the region’s capital.
Unlike Spaghetti Bolognese, Tagliatelle con Ragù uses — as you probaly deduced yourself from its name already — a different kind of pasta. There are no herbs but celery in the sauce and ground beef rather than minced meat is used. If you ever see (not even taste) the original you will instantly understand why its ugly copy from outside of Italy should be avoided even if you are a meat eater (which I am not).
On the plus side, and this is why I decided to write this post, this dish for me has become one of the most reliable “stay-away indicators” for any restaurant as soon as I spot it on the menu. Particular for those restaurants that claim to be Italian. As such it is a beacon that shouts “This is not an Italian restaurant!” or “This restaurant is not run by people who give an actual damn about Italian cusine (even if they are Italians themselves)”.
Just this week — despite my better knowledge — I went to a place called “Mediterranean Café” on Berwick Street in Soho that did have “Spaghetti Bologese” on the menu. The food didn’t fail to greatly unimpress me (as well as the two friends whom I was having lunch with) — well, I should have known, shouldn’t I?
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