Food - Drink
What Is The Difference Between Ragù And Bolognese?
By ANNA STAROPOLI
If you frequent Italian restaurants, you've likely tried ragù alla Bolognese. The tomato-based pasta is beloved in both Italian and Italian-American cuisine, but what is the difference between ragù and Bolognese? The English translation of the Italian "ragù alla Bolognese" literally means Bolognese sauce, placing Bolognese under the ragù umbrella.
Ragù refers to a broader category of Italian sauces, whereas Bolognese represents just one version of how a ragù can take shape and taste. Ragù can refer to any number of loosely-defined meat-based sauces that have been cooked long enough for the flavors to meld.
Per the Alpine Bakery and Trattoria, ragù is essentially a meat-based sauce with traces of tomato, whereas Bolognese branches off that sauce starting point. A ragù can take many forms and directions, from the addition of monkfish to mortadella, so the next time you're making pasta, consider branching out from Bolognese.