Artusi’s Polpette
By Ian MacAllen
Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 | 1,073 views
Italian meatballs were very different than American meatballs, and rarely served with spaghetti and red sauce.
Italian meatballs were very different than American meatballs, and rarely served with spaghetti and red sauce.
American-style meatballs served over spaghetti was invented by immigrants arriving in the United States. Typically, Italian meatballs were served separately rather than alongside spaghetti.
Ada Boni’s The Talisman Italian Cook Book is a classic of pre-war Italian cooking. When Metilda la Rosa published a post-war translation in English, it included a few additional recipes.
Meatballs and spaghetti are an American invention, and one of the earliest documented versions of spaghetti and meatballs might have been an accident.