Spaghetti & Meatball not Italian

The Boston Globe has a good article this week debunking the idea that Spaghetti and Meatballs together is authentically Italian, nor are the large meatballs we're accustomed to. The recipes in the links look pretty interesting, as well.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2008/01/09/gather_round/

I remember when I was a little boy having dinner at the home of one of my friends and his mother was serving macaroni and meatballs. His uncle, who had just come over from Naples asked what she was doing putting the two together. She said, it was a dish she'd learned when she came to America.

I am not a fan of meatballs. I don't care for meatball grinders or sliced ones on pizza. Now if you have a good bolognese sauce, I'll go for that in a shot.
On the other hand, I do love Swedish meatballs on wide egg noodles.
The best meatball and pasta combination is when I eat pho.

mark

it may not be totally authentic, but it sure is good.

All over the world they make meatballs. I've made Italian, Thai, Swedish, Mexican, Greek, all delicious.

Hi,
My favorite slip up in Italy years ago was asking for meatballs with pasta. It indeed was an invention of Italian immigrants who were poor and couldn't afford better cuts of meat to put into their "gravy"(Italian American for tomato sauce) Still great to make them today...but I add a piece of pork and lamb and make a Brasciole...just like my grandma made. Kids have to have a fried meatball,when I make the sunday gravy.

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

Hi,
My favorite slip up in Italy years ago was asking for meatballs with pasta. It indeed was an invention of Italian immigrants who were poor and couldn't afford better cuts of meat to put into their "gravy"(Italian American for tomato sauce) Still great to make them today...but I add a piece of pork and lamb and make a Brasciole...just like my grandma made. Kids have to have a fried meatball,when I make the sunday gravy.

they had meatballs in Italy. The immigrants didn't invent them here in the US.

I think the point is that meatballs were served, just not with the pasta course. pb

correct..
I have NEVER seen anything resembling a meatball served on top of or with any form of Pasta while in Italy.

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

correct..
I have NEVER seen anything resembling a meatball served on top of or with any form of Pasta while in Italy.

So what? That's Italy, today in 21st century.

you said it was "an invention of Italian immigrants who were poor and couldn't afford better cuts of meat to put into their 'gravy'." And that is completely false.

Traditional Sicilian (and other Southern) cooking included pasta and meatballs as a dish,and was common on feast day. Today, in Italy, you pretty much find the pasta and the meatballs as two different courses. Therefore, today, Spaghetti and Meatballs is typically associated as an Italian-American dish, but it was not always just something you find in America. In fact, one could argue that Spaghetti and Meatballs is more old-world Italian than the current method of separating them into two courses. The main difference is that the old-world meatballs were much smaller than the current American cousin

So my point, is that Spaghetti and Meatballs was not invented by Immigrants while in America, poor or otherwise. Rather, the meal was brought over from Sicily and Southern Italy, and has remained unchanged - except for the size of the meatball.

Thanks for the correction...I think..sorry

Looking at different articles, there seem to be opposing views on the origins of spaghetti and meatballs. For anyone to say that they have the final word on it is a joke.

It seems to me the article was citing a limited source for the premise. Fact is we do have Spaghetti and meatballs and I doubt it was some German cook in Peoria that came up with that combination.

quote:

Originally posted by Scorereader

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

correct..
I have NEVER seen anything resembling a meatball served on top of or with any form of Pasta while in Italy.

So what? That's Italy, today in 21st century.

you said it was "an invention of Italian immigrants who were poor and couldn't afford better cuts of meat to put into their 'gravy'." And that is completely false.

Traditional Sicilian (and other Southern) cooking included pasta and meatballs as a dish,and was common on feast day. Today, in Italy, you pretty much find the pasta and the meatballs as two different courses. Therefore, today, Spaghetti and Meatballs is typically associated as an Italian-American dish, but it was not always just something you find in America. In fact, one could argue that Spaghetti and Meatballs is more old-world Italian than the current method of separating them into two courses. The main difference is that the old-world meatballs were much smaller than the current American cousin

So my point, is that Spaghetti and Meatballs was not invented by Immigrants while in America, poor or otherwise. Rather, the meal was brought over from Sicily and Southern Italy, and has remained unchanged - except for the size of the meatball.

When I lived in NY, I had plenty of friends who had first generation Italian-Americans living in the house, and spaghetti and meatballs was *very* common. It certainly is puzzling to hear that it was invented here.

Anyway, it's good! (pass the parmigiano, please)

quote:

Originally posted by MiamiDon

quote:

Originally posted by Scorereader

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

correct..
I have NEVER seen anything resembling a meatball served on top of or with any form of Pasta while in Italy.

So what? That's Italy, today in 21st century.

you said it was "an invention of Italian immigrants who were poor and couldn't afford better cuts of meat to put into their 'gravy'." And that is completely false.

Traditional Sicilian (and other Southern) cooking included pasta and meatballs as a dish,and was common on feast day. Today, in Italy, you pretty much find the pasta and the meatballs as two different courses. Therefore, today, Spaghetti and Meatballs is typically associated as an Italian-American dish, but it was not always just something you find in America. In fact, one could argue that Spaghetti and Meatballs is more old-world Italian than the current method of separating them into two courses. The main difference is that the old-world meatballs were much smaller than the current American cousin

So my point, is that Spaghetti and Meatballs was not invented by Immigrants while in America, poor or otherwise. Rather, the meal was brought over from Sicily and Southern Italy, and has remained unchanged - except for the size of the meatball.

When I lived in NY, I had plenty of friends who had first generation Italian-Americans living in the house, and spaghetti and meatballs was *very* common. It certainly is puzzling to hear that it was invented here.

Anyway, it's good! (pass the parmigiano, please)

me too. As I said, it wasn't invented here.
It's a bad rumor, and the Boston Globe should've done more research before stating that it was created here. I supppose, since it was not common outside Sicily, the foot and the heel, other Italians, such as those spotlighted in the article (who are from Campagna (near Naples)), might think it started here.

And then there is this fellow named Maurice Bacon who claims lasagna is a Brit creation. http://tinyurl.com/2k2e3a