So you like tomato sauces as much as I do?
Well, it turns out there are countless varieties out there!
Italian tomato sauces rule the world. This is certain and it definitely shows in this list of tomato sauces.
I thought it would be nice to see and compare between the variations of tomato sauces.
This should clear some doubts and confusions.
Jump to:
Sugo
Sugo simply means sauce in Italian. Italian folks talk about a tomato sauce when they say sugo.
Those are sometimes sold in stores in jars and they are also labeled sugo.
Pomodoro
The Pomodoro sauce is simply an Italian tomato sauce, cooked for a short time.
It's prepared with peeled tomatoes, olive oil, basic salt, pepper seasoning, onion, sugar and basil.
Some people like to take out the seeds too.
The sauce can be left chunky or blended smooth.
Pomodoro means tomato in Italian.
Marinara
The marinara sauce, compared to the pomodoro, is cooked further down.
It's usually enhanced with oregano, anchovies, and capers.
In the US, a marinara and a pomodoro sauce are the same thing.
In Italy, a marinara is prepared as per the regional custom and every village has it's own version.
Bolognese
The Bolognese sauce is known all over the world!
The tomato sauce is prepared with ground meat, usually beef but also with pork sausage.
It's also referred to as a ragu, which is a meat tomato sauce. (not to be confused with french ragu)
It's a customary dish from the city of Bologna in Italy.
The sauce is great with spaghetti or tagliatelli and kids love it.
Ala Vodka
The alla vodka sauce is also a red tomato sauce but it's prepared with vodka.
The vodka, not only adds flavor but also helps to thicken the sauce. It's food chemistry!
This is an Italian-American food classic.
Puttanesca
A famous tomato sauce pasta dish from Naples.
The Puttanesca is prepared with tomatoes, olive oil, olives, capers and garlic.
The name is definitely an oddity. Look it up!
Arrabbiata
A spicy Italian tomato sauce prepared with crushed red pepper.
Arrabbiata means angry in Italian.
Maybe people used to get angry with spicy hot tomato sauces? We will never know.
Fra Diavolo
The fra diavolo sauce tries to imply that a monk made a packed with the devil.
The truth is, fra diavolo is a New York specialty prepared with crushed red peppers and shrimp.
The sauce can be chunky or smooth.
Passata
A passata is simply a plain, strained unseasoned tomato sauce.
The name, passata is mainly used in Italy.
It's the base for most pizza crusts and pasta sauces.
Tomato Coulis
A tomato coulis is a thinned down tomato sauce, commonly prepared in France.
These French sauces tend to be prepared in large batches in summer and home-canned. Even nowadays!
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Ok, I meant to add this to the comment above;
So what’s the difference between sugo and passata?? Seems to be the same thing. What’s the subtle difference??
Note: in my first comment, “Time” was meant to be Tome
A sugo is a flavored sauce. It can be a tomato sauce, i.e sugo di pomodorini but it can be a pesto sauce too.
A passata is simply peeled (and sometimes seeds removed) tomatoes that are turned into a smooth puree. It's unflavored.
I’ve read, and understood your brief description of each. However, what makes a sugo a sugo , and a ragu a ragu?? I thought a sugo was a meatless sauce, while a ragu was a meat based sauce (e.g. bolognese). Yet I see Italian (Italian Italian) recipes that seem to vary on this. Times like Elizabeth Davids “Italian Food”, and huge La Cucina, The regional cooking of Italy by the Accademia Italiana Della Cucina, and Marcella Hasan really don’t specifically define the difference and sometimes contradict each other.
It's a valid question and I understand the confusion. The problem is that things get mistranslated and sauces get a different meaning in various cultures and countries. I learned Italian in school and I worked in Italian food places.
In Italy, a sugo is simply a sauce and it doesn't need to be a tomato sauce. It can be a pesto sauce, i.e sugo al pesto in Italian. Adding to the confusion, there are two words in Italian for sauce, sugo and salsa.
A ragu is always a meat sauce. That means a meat sauce can be called sugo di carne in Italian. A bolognese is a ragu sauce, which translates to ragu alla bolognese.
Thanks for all your lovely recipes and other information.
You are welcome Simone. I'm glad to know that the info and recipes are useful. 🙂