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| Alternative names | Pasta alla puttanesca,pasta puttanesca |
|---|---|
| Course | Primo (Italian course) |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Naples,Campania |
| Main ingredients | Spaghetti,tomatoes,olives,capers,anchovies,garlic,peperoncino,extra virgin olive oil |
| Variations | Withtuna |
Spaghetti alla puttanesca (Italian:[spaˈɡettiallaputtaˈneska]) is apasta dish invented in the Italian city ofNaples in the mid-20th century and made typically with tomatoes, olives,capers,anchovies, garlic,peperoncino,extra virgin olive oil, and salt.[1][2]
Becauseputtana means roughly 'whore' or 'prostitute' andputtanesca is an adjective derived from that word, the dish may have been invented in one of manybordellos in the Naples working-class neighbourhood ofQuartieri Spagnoli as a quick meal taken between servicing clients.[3][4][5] Alternatively, food historianJeremy Parzen suggests: "Italians useputtana (and related words) almost the way we useshit, as an all-purpose profanity, sopasta alla puttanesca might have originated with someone saying, essentially, 'I just threw a bunch ofshit from the cupboard into a pan'."[6]
Various recipes in Italian cookbooks dating back to the 19th century describe pasta sauces very similar to a modernputtanesca under different names. One of the earliest dates from 1844, when Ippolito Cavalcanti, in hisCucina teorico-pratica, included a recipe from popular Neapolitan cuisine, calling itvermicelli all'oglio con olive capperi ed alici salse.[7] After some sporadic appearances in other Neapolitan cookbooks, in 1931 theTouring Club Italiano'sGuida gastronomica d'Italia lists it among the gastronomic specialties ofCampania, calling itmaccheroni alla marinara.[8]
The dish under its current name first appears in gastronomic literature in the 1960s. The earliest known mention ofpasta alla puttanesca is inRaffaele La Capria'sFerito a morte (Mortal Wound), a 1961 Italian novel which mentions "spaghetti alla puttanesca come li fanno a Siracusa" (lit. 'spaghetti alla puttanesca as they make it inSyracuse').[9] The sauce became popular in the 1960s, according to the Professional Union of Italian Pasta Makers.[10]
Nonetheless, the 1971 edition of theIl cucchiaio d'argento (The Silver Spoon), one of Italy's most prominent cookbooks, has no recipe with the nameputtanesca, but two recipes that are similar: the Neapolitanspaghetti alla partenopea is made withanchovies and generous quantities oforegano, whilespaghetti alla siciliana is distinguished by the addition ofgreen peppers; still again, there is a Sicilian style popular aroundPalermo that includes olives, anchovies, and raisins.[11] InDom DeLuise's 1988 cookbook,Eat This... It'll Make You Feel Better!, he offers a recipe named "Puttanesca Sauce (Harlot Sauce)", which he explains was introduced to him byCaterina Valente during the filming ofThe Entertainers in 1964.[12] DeLuise's recipe calls for both olives and capers, along with red pepper flakes, but no anchovies or oregano.[12]
In a 2005 article fromIl Golfo—a daily newspaper serving the Italian islands ofIschia andProcida—Annarita Cuomo asserted thatsugo alla puttanesca was invented in the 1950s by Sandro Petti, co-owner of 'O Rangio Fellone, a famous Ischian restaurant and nightspot.[13]
The sauce alone is calledsugo alla puttanesca inItalian. Recipes may differ according to preferences; for instance, the Neapolitan version is prepared without anchovies, unlike the version popular in the Lazio region. Spices are sometimes added. In most cases, however, thesugo is a little salty (from the capers, olives, and anchovies) and quite fragrant (from the garlic). Traditionally, the sauce is served withspaghetti, although it is also paired withpenne,bucatini,linguine, andvermicelli.
Garlic and anchovies (omitted in the Neapolitan version) aresautéed inolive oil. Chopped chili peppers, olives, capers, diced tomatoes, and oregano are added, along with salt andblack pepper to taste. The cook thenreduces this mixture bysimmering and mixes it with the spaghettial dente. The final touch is a topping ofparsley.[14]
Media related toSpaghetti alla puttanesca at Wikimedia Commons
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject
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