Neapolitan sauce facts for kids
Vegetarian Neapolitan sauce
|
|
| Alternative names | Napoli sauce |
|---|---|
| Type | Sauce |
| Region or state | South Italy |
| Main ingredients | Tomatoes, garlic, onions, herbs |
Neapolitan sauce, also known as Napoli sauce, is a yummy tomato-based sauce that comes from Italian cuisine. People outside Italy often use this name for different kinds of tomato sauces. It's usually served with pasta or alongside other dishes.
In Naples, a city in Italy, this sauce is simply called la salsa, which means "the sauce." It's a basic sauce that can have many different ingredients added to it. Some common additions include basil, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, peppercorns, cloves, olives, and even mushrooms. Sometimes, people also add carrots and celery to make it even tastier.
Outside Italy, this sauce is usually vegetarian, meaning it doesn't have meat. However, you can add meat like minced beef or sausage if you like. It's interesting to know that in Italy, the sauce that truly carries Naples in its name is a meat sauce called Neapolitan ragù, which is different from what people outside Italy call "Neapolitan sauce." Many Italians might not even know what "spaghetti napolitana" is, because the name isn't even spelled correctly in Italian!
Where Did Neapolitan Sauce Come From?
Tomato-based sauces are a big part of Italian cooking today, but they haven't always been around. The very first Italian cookbook to include a tomato sauce recipe was called Lo Scalco alla Moderna (which means The Modern Steward).
This cookbook was written by an Italian chef named Antonio Latini. It was published in two parts, first in 1692 and then in 1694. Antonio Latini worked as a special helper, or "Steward," for the main minister to the Spanish ruler of Naples. This shows how tomato sauce slowly became a popular part of Italian food history!
See also
In Spanish: Salsa napolitana para niños
