Learn about the history of spaghetti and meatballs!
Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic dish found all over the world and is considered a staple dinner menu item. While we believe that most pasta dishes are considered to be Italian, you likely won’t find the dish anywhere in Italy. Continue reading for a short history on spaghetti and meatballs, and find a special recipe from owner Mary Giolitti on how to make her favorite meatballs at home!
Italian Immigrants
While spaghetti and meatballs is not a meal served in Italy, the origin of the meal started with Italian immigrants coming to the U.S. in 1880-1920. Most of the immigrants were impoverished, but found the food in America to be much more affordable; they were spending about 25% of their income on food rather than the 75% they were spending in Italy. As they had more money for food, meat became a staple for Italian immigrants, and families were having meatballs for dinner more often!
Spaghetti was one of the only Italian ingredients available in the U.S. at the time, so people began eating the pasta and meatballs together. The Italian-American meal became more prominent over time, and today, it is one of the most well-loved dishes in the country.
Owner Mary Giolitti’s Favorite Meatball Recipe
Giolitti Deli owner Mary Giolitti is sharing her favorite meatball recipe so you can try it for yourself at home! To make the meatballs, you will need:
- 4 cups soft bread crumbs
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ lb lean ground beef
- 3 sprigs parsley, chopped
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ⅔ cup imported parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons soft butter
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Start by moistening bread crumbs with the milk. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together, just until combined. Form the mixture into balls and bake at 375 degrees until brown and cooked through- check on them after about 15-20 minutes. When they are done, add to your favorite marinara sauce and serve on their own, on a sandwich, or over a plate of hot spaghetti!
Authentic Italian Cuisine From Giolitti Deli
Giolitti Deli is a full-service Delicatessen in Annapolis, MD, specializing in authentic Italian cuisine. Founded in 1992, we use the freshest ingredients to make time-honed recipes from scratch, with no MSG or preservatives. We believe in real food and offer many healthy options, including vegetarian and vegan menu items. At Giolitti Deli, we make our own sauces, mozzarella, grilled and roasted vegetables, bread, pizza dough, and desserts, and our sandwiches, salads, pasta, pizza, and entrees are made to order. Owner Mary Giolitti has combined her passion for great food and fine wine to offer Annapolis a true taste of Italy!
Team members who also make the business possible include Manager Kathy Hunter, Manager and Catering Director Cheryl Molesky, Head Baker Porfirio Diaz, Chef Alfredo Escobar, and Deli Manager Noe Merino. To contact us, please visit our contact page or give us a call at 410.266.8600. Also, be sure to keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and our blog!
Tags: Giolitti Deli, italian food, meatballs, pasta, recipe, spaghetti
This entry was postedonWednesday, May 8th, 2019at8:15 pmand is filed underFood.You can follow any responses to this entry through theRSS 2.0feed.Both comments and pings are currently closed.
FAQs
Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian-American pasta dish consisting of spaghetti, tomato sauce, and meatballs. Originally inspired by similar dishes from southern Italy, the modern version of spaghetti and meatballs was developed by Italian immigrants in the United States.
What does spaghetti and meatballs symbolize? ›
Spaghetti with meatballs is the symbol of the discovery of abundance". It is, therefore, no coincidence that spaghetti with meatballs is so present in New Hollywood's films: a cinematic era signed by the descendants of those emigrant families.
What was the big appeal of spaghetti and meatballs for Americans? ›
Bringing Spaghetti and Meatballs to America
They desired diets rich in meat, after discovering that meat in America was relatively inexpensive. They made meatballs using affordable ground beef and indulged in larger portion sizes than they had had back home.
Will you likely find spaghetti and meatballs as a dish on the menu if you travel to Italy? ›
And, nothing says Italian food like a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs—unless you are Italian. If you go to Italy, you will not find a dish called spaghetti and meatballs. And if you do, it is probably to satisfy the palate of the American tourist.
What is the summary of spaghetti and meatballs for all? ›
In the story, Mr. and Mrs. Comfort invite 32 family members and friends for a reunion and set eight square tables to seat four people at each, one to a side. As guests arrive, they all have their own ideas about how to rearrange the tables so that different-size groups can sit together.
What is a fun fact about spaghetti and meatballs? ›
Spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce is a purely American invention, the result of a surge of Italian immigration to the U.S. and the adaptations they made to available ingredients. The truth about meatballs is that they are a clever way to dress up tough, cheaper cuts of meat.
What is the fancy name for spaghetti and meatballs? ›
Spaghetti and Meatballs All'Amatriciana.
Why do Americans eat spaghetti with meatballs? ›
The dish evolved as Italian immigrants combined their culinary traditions with American ingredients. They began serving spaghetti with larger American-style meatballs and tomato sauce, creating a satisfying meal.
What does spaghetti mean in black culture? ›
For Black cooks, spaghetti represents connection and ingenuity.
How do Italians serve spaghetti and meatballs? ›
"Al forno" simply means "baked in an oven," and it's the most customary way you'll find meatballs and pasta in the same dish together in Italy. While spaghetti and meatballs may not be so common, a casserole-style dish of pasta and meatballs certainly is - think baked ziti!
American meatballs are the biggest in size, with Italian and Swedish meatballs following on the depth chart. Italian meatballs call for seasonings like grated parmesan and oregano, while Swedish ones use seasonings like nutmeg and allspice. While it doesn't sound like a huge distinction, you'll notice it in the taste!
How unhealthy is spaghetti and meatballs? ›
A typical serving of white spaghetti (2 cups) with 8 meatballs (6 ounces), sauce (3/4 cup) and Parmesan cheese (2 tablespoons), garlic bread, and iceberg lettuce salad has, on average, a whopping 1,495 calories, 70 fat grams, and more than a day's worth of sodium, yet it's shy in vitamins, minerals and other good ...
How did spaghetti and meatballs change upon their arrival in the US? ›
Meat became more of a staple and families put meatballs on the table more often. Then came the sauce. Italian-American cooks favored tomato sauce or marinara, because canned tomatoes were becoming a readily available commodity at grocery stores, and marinara sauce was familiar to southern Italians…
Why is there no spaghetti and meatballs in Italy? ›
So, if you can't find the dish in Italy, where does it come from? The answer is the Italian immigrants that first came to the United States, or in their words, “America”. According to the Ellis Island archives, from 1880 to 1920 around 4 million Italians emigrated from Italy to America.
What is the story behind spaghetti? ›
Some historians think that Arabs introduced pasta to Europe during a conquest of Sicily. In the West, it may have first been worked into long, thin forms in Sicily around the 12th century, as the Tabula Rogeriana of Muhammad al-Idrisi attested, reporting some traditions about the Kingdom of Sicily.
Was spaghetti first invented in Italy or China? ›
While Asian noodles are believed to have originated in China, pasta is believed to have independently originated in Italy and is a staple food of Italian cuisine, with evidence of Etruscans making pasta as early as 400 BCE in Italy.
Is spaghetti and meatballs common in Italy? ›
While spaghetti and meatballs may not be so common, a casserole-style dish of pasta and meatballs certainly is - think baked ziti! Often, these recipes call for polpettini - a teeny-tiny version of meatballs, so that it's easier to disperse them evenly and get a bit of meatball in every bite.
