Neapolitan sauce

Neapolitan sauce is the collective name given (outside Italy) to various basic tomato-based sauces derived from Italian cuisine, often served over or alongside pasta.

In Naples, Neapolitan sauce is simply referred to as salsa, which literally translates to 'sauce'. Basil, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, peppercorns, cloves, olives, and mushrooms may be included depending on taste preferences. Some variants include carrots and celery.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Outside Italy, the basic sauce is vegetarian, although meat such as minced beef or sausage can be added. By contrast, in Italy, the sauce dish carrying Naples in its name is a sauce called Neapolitan ragù.

Origin

Historically, the first Italian cookbook to include a tomato based sauce,<ref name=autogenerated1>Elizabeth David, Italian Food (1954, 1999), p. 319, and John Dickie, Delizia! The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food, 2008, p. 162.</ref> Lo Scalco alla Moderna (The Modern Steward), was written by Italian chef Antonio Latini and was published in two volumes in 1692 and 1694. Latini served as the Steward of the First Minister to the Spanish Viceroy of Naples.<ref>Alan Davidson, "Europeans' Wary Encounter with Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Other New World Foods" in Chilies to Chocolate: Food the Americas Gave the World (University of Arizona Press), 1992.</ref><ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>