Tetrazzini facts for kids
Tetrazzini is a yummy American dish. It is often made with poultry like chicken or turkey. Sometimes it uses seafood like tuna. The dish has mushrooms and a rich, creamy sauce. This sauce is usually made with butter, cream, and cheese. It often has a bit of wine or sherry for flavor.
You serve Tetrazzini hot over different types of pasta. Common choices include linguine, spaghetti, or egg noodles. It's often topped with parsley. Sometimes people add breadcrumbs, almonds, or fried onions on top. Tetrazzini can also be baked like a casserole. This can give it a nice browned crust. For quick home cooking, some recipes use canned cream of mushroom soup.
Contents
What is Tetrazzini?
Tetrazzini is a creamy and savory meal. It mixes cooked meat or fish with pasta. The special sauce makes it very rich. This sauce usually has cheese and a touch of wine. It is a comforting and filling dish.
Main Ingredients
The main parts of Tetrazzini are:
- Cooked poultry (like chicken or turkey) or seafood (like tuna).
- Mushrooms, which add an earthy taste.
- A creamy sauce made with butter, cream, and cheese.
- A little bit of wine or sherry for extra flavor.
- Pasta like spaghetti or linguine.
How It's Served
Tetrazzini is served warm. It can be a main meal. People often sprinkle parsley on top. Other toppings can include:
- Breadcrumbs for crunch.
- Sliced almonds.
- Crispy fried onions.
- Extra grated cheese.
Sometimes, Tetrazzini is baked in the oven. This makes it a casserole. Baking can give the top a golden, crispy layer. Some recipes use shortcuts. They might use canned cream soups. This makes it easier to prepare at home.
Who Was Luisa Tetrazzini?
The dish is named after a famous person. She was an Italian opera singer. Her name was Luisa Tetrazzini. She was very well-known for her beautiful voice.
Where Did Tetrazzini Come From?
People believe this dish was created around 1908 to 1910. It was named after Luisa Tetrazzini. She was a very popular singer at that time.
San Francisco or New York?
Many think the dish was first made in San Francisco. Ernest Arbogast was a chef at the Palace Hotel. He might have invented it there. Luisa Tetrazzini sang in San Francisco in 1905.
However, some say it started in New York City. The Knickerbocker Hotel in New York is another possible birthplace. The magazine Good Housekeeping mentioned turkey tetrazzini in 1908. It described a dish of turkey, cream sauce, spaghetti, cheese, and bread crumbs. It said readers could find it at "the restaurant on Forty-second Street" in New York.
Later, a chef named Louis Paquet helped make chicken tetrazzini famous.
Different Kinds of Tetrazzini
There isn't just one way to make Tetrazzini. Recipes can change. Some ingredients might be different. For example, people use various types of crumbs or cheese.
The name often changes based on the main ingredient. You might hear of:
This shows how flexible the dish can be.
Images for kids
-
In Spanish: Tetrazzini for kids
