Amatriciana sauce facts for kids
Bucatini all'amatriciana
|
|
| Course | Primo |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Lazio |
| Serving temperature | Hot over pasta |
| Main ingredients | Tomatoes, guanciale, cheese (Pecorino Romano), olive oil |
Sugo all'amatriciana, often just called Amatriciana, is a very famous Italian pasta sauce. It comes from a town called Amatrice in Italy. This tasty sauce is made with special ingredients. These include guanciale (which is cured pork cheek), Pecorino Romano cheese, and tomato. Sometimes, people add onion too. Amatriciana is now a classic dish in Rome and all over Italy. The Italian government even calls it a special traditional food! It is also registered as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed in the EU and the UK.
Contents
The Story of Amatriciana
How Amatriciana Began
Amatriciana actually started from an older recipe. This recipe was called pasta alla gricia. In old Rome, there were sellers of food called grici. Many of them came from a place called Valtellina. This area was once part of the Swiss canton of Grigioni. So, the name gricia might come from these sellers.
Another idea is that the name comes from a small village. This village is called Grisciano. It is very close to Amatrice. The original gricia sauce is still made today. It uses guanciale (cured pork cheek) and grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Later, a little olive oil was added to this simple recipe. Even in the 1960s, Amatriciana was made this way in Amatrice itself.
Tomatoes Join the Party
The first time tomato sauces were invented was in the late 1700s. This is probably when tomatoes were first added to the gricia sauce. This created the Amatriciana we know today. The first written mention of pasta with tomato sauce is from 1790. It was in a cookbook called L'Apicio Moderno. A Roman chef named Francesco Leonardi wrote this book.
Becoming Famous in Rome
Amatriciana became more and more popular in Rome. This happened during the 1800s and early 1900s. Rome and Amatrice had been connected for a long time. The recipe was loved by many people. It quickly became a classic dish in Roman cuisine. Even though it started elsewhere, it felt like a Roman dish. In the Romanesco dialect, the name became matriciana. This is because of a common way of speaking in that dialect.
Pasta Choices for Amatriciana
The tomato-free gricia is still made in central Italy. But the tomato-rich amatriciana is much more famous. It is known all over Italy and exported worldwide. In Amatrice, people traditionally use spaghetti with this sauce. However, in Rome, using bucatini has become very common. It is now the most popular choice there. Other types of dry pasta are also used. These include rigatoni. Fresh pasta is usually not used for this dish.
Different Ways to Make Amatriciana
What Ingredients Can Change?
The Amatriciana recipe has a few different versions. This often depends on what ingredients are available locally. In Amatrice, people usually do not add onion to the sauce. However, some classic Roman cookbooks do include onion. For frying the guanciale, olive oil is most commonly used. But some people also use strutto, which is canned pork lard. In Amatrice, they sometimes use their local pecorino cheese.
Cheese and Spice Options
For the cheese, you can use either Pecorino Romano or the local pecorino from Amatrice. This local cheese comes from the Monti Sibillini or Monti della Laga areas. It is also common to add black pepper or chili pepper to the sauce. These spices give it an extra kick!
See also
In Spanish: Amatriciana para niños
