Genovese sauce facts for kids
Genovese sauce with candele pasta served at the Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, Campania, Italy
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| Type | Sauce |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Campania |
| Created by | Genovese immigrants |
| Invented | 15th or 16th centuries |
| Main ingredients | Onion |
| Ingredients generally used | Beef, veal or pork |
Genovese sauce is a delicious sauce from Italy. It is made by slowly cooking onions and meat together. This sauce is very popular in the Campania region of Italy, especially in the city of Naples.
People usually eat Genovese sauce with large pasta shapes like paccheri, ziti, or candele. It is often topped with grated cheese. The sauce can be made with different kinds of meat, such as beef, pork, or veal. The most important part of Genovese sauce is the many onions, cooked for a long time. This sauce never has tomatoes in it. Some recipes even suggest using a special yellow onion called ramata di Montoro.
This sauce likely came to Naples from Genoa, a city in northern Italy, a long time ago during the Renaissance. Even though it's named after Genoa, it has become a very important part of southern Italian cooking, especially in Campania.
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The Story Behind Genovese Sauce
Even though its name means "in the style of Genoa," Genovese sauce is a main pasta sauce in Naples. It has a long history there, arriving in the 1400s or 1500s. It might have been brought by people from Genoa who moved to Naples or by traders. Back then, Genoa and Naples were two of Italy's busiest ports.
Another idea is that the sauce is named after its inventor. "Genovese" is a common family name in the Campania region. Today, you will mostly find Genovese sauce only in Campania.
The way onions are used in this recipe might show a French influence. It is a bit like a French dish called Boeuf à la mode. In the mid-1800s, a fancy dish called 'Salmon in Hollandaise and Genovese sauce' was served in a famous Paris restaurant.
It is important not to confuse Genovese sauce with other sauces. It is different from Pesto from Genoa. It is also not the same as Salsa Genovese, which is a red wine sauce for fish. And it is different from the sauce génevoise from Lake Geneva, which is also served with fish.
How to Make Genovese Sauce
To make Genovese sauce, you first gently cook beef or veal with lots of onions. This mixture then cooks very slowly for many hours, sometimes up to ten! The onions are usually cooked with small pieces of carrots and celery. This mix is called a soffritto.
Cooking the onions slowly is super important for the sauce's amazing flavor. To help them cook, white wine or broth is added little by little. You can serve the sauce with the meat mixed in with the pasta, or you can serve the meat separately. Sometimes, it is garnished with tomatoes and topped with pecorino cheese.
Genovese sauce is usually served with large, tube-shaped pasta like Paccheri. Other popular pasta shapes include rigatoni, ziti, or candele. These pasta types are great because their shape helps them hold onto the rich sauce.
Ingredients for 4 servings
- Meat: 600 grams
- Golden onions: 1 kilogram
- Carrots: 60 grams
- Celery: 60 grams
- Olive oil
See also
In Spanish: Salsa genovesa para niños
