A short list of some other differences from here to there:
-Spaghetti with clam sauce: look for spaghetti or linguine vongole veraci, made with tiny clams in the shell, olive oil, garlic, parsley, peperoncino (chili pepper)—never with cheese, cream, basil, oregano, or angel hair pasta.
-Shrimp scampi: no such dish. Shrimp scampi translates to “shrimp shrimp” in Italian. Among the many varieties of shrimp besides scampi are gamberi, gamberetti, and mazzancolle.
-Sun-dried tomatoes: a rarity in any region, but used occasionally in the South.
-Italian hoagies, submarines, grinders: sandwiches in Italy are flat, never overstuffed and are called panini or tramezzini.
-Fettuccine Alfredo: only on the menu at the eponymous restaurant on Via della Scrofa in Rome, where it was invented in the 1920s. The original recipe called for fettuccine, butter, and Parmigiano-Reggiano—no heavy cream. In fact, if Italians use cream at all in their sauces, it’s used very sparingly, so you won’t encounter the popular Italian-America “pink” sauce.
-Sauce or gravy, whatever you call it—it helps to know the two basic Italian tomato sauces (among the many regional varieties):
a. Ragu is a meat-based sauce, confusing because of a certain brand on our grocers’ shelves.
b. Sugo di pomodoro is a light, quickly cooked meatless tomato sauce, made from either fresh tomatoes or from canned tomatoes called la salsa (more confusion).
NOTE: Marinara generally refers to pizza alla marinara—with tomatoes, garlic, and oregano. But, if you ask your waiter for spaghetti marinara, he’ll know what you mean.
-Biscotti: the Italian word for “cookie.” If you want the long, hard sweet we think of as biscotti, you must ask for tozzetti or cantuccini.
So don’t go to Italy in search of Nonna’s wedding soup or the sausage and peppers at Angelo’s Trattoria in St. Louis. Enjoy those dishes that are ensconced into the honor roll of Italian-American recipes when you go to Grandma’s or when you’re in Missouri. In Italy, allow yourself to discover and fall in love with Italian food in the place where it all began.
