Why is marinara sauce called that?

[XemaSab]

It sounds like it should have something to do with sailing or seafood. :shrug:

[Nickster]

1. It's Italian..........

for freaking delicious!

[NYC_SKP]

2. Mar, Latin root for Sea, ergo, "for sailors or seamen"

there ya go!

Didja get a computer?

[XemaSab]

3. No, I didn't

It will probably have to wait until I get some scrilla. :shrug:

[NNadir]

4. It was generally made in Italy using seafood, often as a base.

Mussels, clams, fish, slimy little octopi, all that stuff went in.

Only when it came to the US was that stuff no longer essential to make "Marinara."

My mother-in-law, who by the way didn't have much use for her pure Italian husband, gave us a fascinating cook book with considerable research into both the history and nature of Italian provincial cooking.

[Chan790]

5. Found this online.

I was always kind of curious about that too. For all the really high-end authentic Italian restaurants I've worked in, nobody ever really had a clue

Marinara sauce originated with sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the Spaniards introduced the tomato to their neighboring countries. The word marinara is derived from marinaro, which is Italian for “of the sea.” Because of this, many people mistakenly believe marinara sauce includes some type of fish or seafood. However, marinara sauce loosely translates as “the sauce of the sailors,” because it was a meatless sauce extensively used on sailing ships before modern refrigeration techniques were invented. The lack of meat and the sheer simplicity of making tasty marinara sauce were particularly appealing to the cooks on board sailing ships, because the high acid content of the tomatoes and the absence of any type of meat fat resulted in a sauce which would not easily spoil.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-marinara-sauce.htm

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Because putanesca was already taken.

:hide:

[Chan790]

7. Does it say something about Italy and its' culture...

that the two most popular pasta sauce variations are named after sailors and prostitutes??

Puttanesca basically translates to whore sauce, if you didn't know...I think everybody knows by now though.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

8. Not strictly prostitutes -

the word puttana means "prostitute," that's correct, but there is a derivation of it - puttanata - that means "garbage." You can see their connection, yes?

Spaghetti puttanesca, the story goes, came about when a restaurant owner, late at night, fixed a dish for customers who were hungry and said they'd eat whatever he had, that he should just "facci una puttanata qualsiasi."

"Fix any kind of garbage."

There's also the infamous spaghetti a La Scala, so named because it was a favorite of the late-night diners who'd just been to the opera. That's my personal favorite - butter, olive oil, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, parsley, spaghetti.

Now I'm hungry.....................

[old mark]

9. Mussels in marinara sauce is one of

the best things you can eat.

There is a little restaurant nearby whose owners come from Italy and cooked in NYC before moving down here to PA. Their food is fantastic, and priced for here, about 1/2 of the Philly and NYC prices.
They even bake their own bread.


mark