Unchanged for 40 years
The official Bolognese recipe has changed: why the famous sauce can now contain bouillon cubes and minced meat
Tagliatelle al ragù is now also allowed with bouillon cubes and minced meat
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Italy adapts the Bolognese sauce to the habits of modern times. What is now allowed in the pasta classic and what is still prohibited.
Bolognese sauce is the world’s most abused Italian recipe. In Germany there are countless variants, which are sometimes prepared with ketchup and cream. Neither has lost anything in it. The original recipe that the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, i.e. the Academy of Italian Cuisine, deposited with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce on October 17, 1982, may only follow a specific recipe. Until now.
Because the academy has the “real ragù alla bolognese ” now adapted to the modern palate. “There are some things that will horrify traditionalists,” admits Cristina Bragaglia, from the Bologna Dell’Accademia delegation, as she presents the new recipe deposited at the Chamber of Commerce. What are they?
Ground beef and bouillon cubes
For the original, you should buy the meat whole, cut it up into small pieces and then stew it in the sauce until the meat collapses. The recipe has not been touched for 40 years, but now they want to adapt it to the habits of families who like to reach for minced meat. That’s why ingredients like bouillon cubes and mixed minced meat from the supermarket now also go through.
“In 40 years, cuisine has changed and what was good then may no longer suit the tastes of today’s palates. That’s why we thought about revising the recipe for ragù,” explains Roberto Ariani, Secretary General of the Academy of Italian Kitchen.
The original recipe
So the recipe for six people is now this: 400 grams of ground beef (or mixed ground beef), 100 g of pancetta, the classic vegetable combination of carrot, onion and celery, a glass of red or white wine, 200 g of tomato puree, a tablespoon of double tomato paste, a Glass of milk (optional), meat or light vegetable broth (also bouillon cubes), extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Chicken liver, sausage, peas and mushrooms can also be used. The sauce needs to simmer for at least two hours to develop its full aroma. It will be traditional ragù alla bolognese eaten with fresh tagliatelle or used to prepare lasagne al forno.