Spaghetti is a long, thin form of pasta. It is versatile, popular, and available throughout the Western World. Most spaghetti sold and consumed is commercially prepared, then dried by boiling the pasta with salt in water until soft. Many believe that spaghetti originated in China with some now asserting that the Arabs who populated Southern Italy (around the 12th Century) were the first to develop the innovation of working pasta from grain into thin long forms.  Now, that is a brief history of spaghetti, but can anyone tell me where and when it was served covered with what we now call “spaghetti sauce?”

  In the beginning there was the tomato!  An emblem of Italian cuisine is spaghetti that is served in tomato sauce, which may contain various herbs (especially oregano and basil), olive oil, meat, or vegetables. The tomato has been central to Italian cuisine since its introduction from the Americas. Tomato sauce was an ancient condiment in Aztec Indian food. The first person to write of what may have been a tomato sauce was Bernardino de Sahagún who made note of a prepared sauce that was offered for sale in the markets of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City today). Then, Spaniards brought the use of tomato to Europe.  Fast forward to today…… Marinara is a US-American-Italian term for a simple tomato sauce with herbs—mostly parsley and basil—but, contrary to its name (which is Italian for coastal, seafaring) without anchovies, fish or seafood. In countries other than the United States, however, marinara refers to a seafood and tomato sauce.  American supermarkets commonly carry a variety of prepared tomato sauces described as “spaghetti sauce”. Common variations include meat sauce, marinara sauce and sauces with mushrooms or sweet red peppers

  Stay tuned for our next article on the  father of modern spaghetti sauce, Howard Moskowitz!