Is Spaghetti & Meatballs Italian or Italian-American?

Oct 9

It seems whenever people debate what’s authentic Italian food vs fake Italian food, spaghetti and meatballs is always the go-to example. And before anyone gets too upset, let’s clear something up: spaghetti and meatballs is Italian and Italian-American.

And yes, both versions are absolutely delicious. Duh!

That said, we never served spaghetti and meatballs on the same plate at Sunday dinner. By the way, for those who don’t know, I come from an Italian family. My parents were both born and raised in Calabria, Italy before moving to the U.S. where I was born. In our home, pasta, no matter the shape or sauce, was always served as the primo. Then came the secondo: the meatballs, served on a ceramic tray, alongside bitter greens, a salad and seasonal vegetables.

That was our version of “spaghetti and meatballs.” Pasta first. Meatballs second and never on the same plate.

Here’s the fun part. Spaghetti and meatballs actually has Italian roots. In the southern region of Abruzzo, there’s a dish called Spaghetti alla Chitarra con Pallottine. “Pallottine” literally means “pellets,” and that’s what they are—tiny meatballs, no bigger than a chickpea. They’re delicate in shape, simple, and part of a long tradition. In Italy, small meatballs are often called polpettine, meaning little meatballs (and then there’s polpettone meaning “big meatball” but that’s for another blog post).

When Italian immigrants came to America in the early 20th century, they encountered something new: affordable meat, lots of it, year-round. Naturally, the meatballs got bigger and the sauce got richer, and the two ended up on the same plate with meatballs becoming the star of the dish.