21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Warning to households with packets of dried spaghetti in kitchen cupboard
A chef has claimed many UK households have been making spag bol all wrong.
Households with packets of dried spaghetti in their kitchen cupboards are being warned to make a change to avoid ruining their spag bol. A chef said many make the popular dish 'wrong' claiming their versions are not "authentic".
Gousto chef Sophie Nahmad said the traditional pasta type for bolognese is actually tagliatelle.
Chef Antonio Carluccio agreed with Sophie, saying "bolognese sauce should never be served with spaghetti. It should be with tagliatelle".
Speaking about the variety of pastas on offer, Sophie said: "While many of you might have just learned you've been using it wrong your entire lives, it wouldn't be a pasta round up without a mention of Spaghetti.
"This is the nation's second favourite pasta shape after Fusilli, and a staple you'll find in most UK kitchens.
"When it comes to any long noodle pasta shape, including varieties such as Linguini or Capellini, it's best to stick to lighter sauces.
"A simple pesto or arrabbiata sauce are the best choices for these shapes." When it comes to family comfort food favourites, it's hard to beat spag bol.
Gousto explains on its website: "For our deliciously simple version of the classic, you'll caramelise onion and carrot, before adding British beef mince and tomato.
"Serve up your richly flavoured ragù with spaghetti and plenty of grated cheese. Bolognese brilliance!"
Spaghetti was introduced to Europe by the Berbers during their conquest of Sicily.
This long, cylindrical pasta was historically much longer than the type you see today, usually served with tomato sauce, meat or vegetables.
Linguine, meanwhile, is long, and elliptical pasta is wider than spaghetti but not as wide as fettucine, and often served with seafood or pesto, Gousto adds on its website.
Last year, a TikTok sensation stirred quite the controversy with their novel fettuccine spaghetti hack, leaving traditionalists unconvinced.
The account, dubbed @creativecookingcouple_nm, posted footage of dry spaghetti being chopped up in a blender.
During the process, the content creator was seen breaking the pasta by hand to fit it into the machinery an act deemed sacrilege by devout pasta lovers.
To add to the authenticity, Francine Segan, a food historian, explained to Delish: "However, there is a strict consensus that breaking pasta is a no-no because the length of the pasta enhances the eating experience and aesthetics of the dish."
Despite the backlash from committed connoisseurs, the TikTok clip suggests that flouting conventional culinary rules can lead to delicious results.
The poster even claimed to have picked up the trick in Italy, although comments under the video expressed sheer disbelief.
