Oh pasta Bolognese!

In the article " Italian chefs tell world how to make correct Bolognese"

for the Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7017565/Italian-chefs-tell-world-how-to-make-correct-bolognese.html), Nick Squires brings to light the controversial topic of pasta Bolognese.  This dish has been adopted throughout the world as an easy meal to make, yet “spag bol” is not the true pasta Bolognese that originated in Bologna.

The real pasta Bolognese is made with pancetta, carrots, celery, onions, tomato paste, and minced beef. Neither is it served with spaghetti, as most of the world believes. The pasta, tagliatelle is the correct company to the “rich meat and tomato sauce”.

According to the article, gourmands believe that pasta Bolognese should not be mistaken for a simple dish. Chicken or turkey should not be used to substitute for minced beef. In 2010, 450 Italian chefs in 50 countries cooked the real thing using a standard recipe for pasta Bolognese written by the chamber of commerce in Bologna (the home-town of this great dish).

This article seemed bizarre at first; after all it is about pasta. Yet as I read it, I realized that there was more to it than a perspective on cooking pasta Bolognese. This article showed how a simple dish has spread around the world, and changed.

An authentic meal of pasta Bolognese must be wonderful, but who is to say that an adaptation of this dish, perhaps with a little bit of chilli and maybe some lemon-grass, wouldn’t taste delicious either! Sure, this dish might not be entitled to the name “pasta Bolognese”, but it isn’t a new creation either.

It is a blend, as so many things in today’s global world are. It is multicultural, and creative. Its roots may be “pasta Bolgonesian” but it has added its own twist to tradition. It is important for traditional recipes to be remembered, one should never forget what the real dish was, but change is good too.

The traditional pasta Bolognese has history; it is part of the identity of a town and nation.  Purists have every right to be snobbish towards the strange mutations that have appeared on global menus.  These mutations may misinform the public about the dish, yet if they taste good and fill an empty stomach, does it really matter?

Good food is good food, no matter whether it is the original pasta Bolognese or “spag bol”.  Yet the idea that 450 chefs came together to make the authentic dish is fascinating. Italians are clearly proud of their food heritage and their authentic dishes that have been globalized.

Word count: 419