This week I received the usual newsletter from Nigella’s website. She often gives smart recipes and interesting tastes. I must say that when I cook according to her recipes I need to reduce the garlic ratio. She really uses tons of it, but abroad it’s quite normal. In Italy, we have a different taste.
I thought it was a kind of joke: pasta with Marmite! I was expecting someone appearing on the screen saying “bazinga!”.
So, I went out of the page and clicked the link several times, but here it was! Pasta with Marmite wasn’t a joke!
Most Italians don’t even know what Marmite is. In my case, I tried it when i lived in London. Marmite doesn’t match my taste, but that’s not the point! Many people love it! It’s just habit. It’s not that I didn’t like it: it has a strong taste and I am not used to eat it. In the UK people usually spread it on toast, and it’s very nourishing. I’m sure that if a ate it more often, I would like it! But JUST ON BREAD, NOT ON PASTA!!
The fact itself that most Italians don’t know Marmite should be a clue!!! Marmite is not a sauce for pasta! I think that an Italian granny would even refuse to talk about this matching.
I don’t give as good the reason that sometimes people prepare the day-after pasta with the sauce remained from the roast. That’s something completely different!
Comparing pasta with roast sauce and pasta with Marmite is like comparing pasta with tomato sauce and pasta with ketchup! (even just saying pasta with ketchup is hard for me, it’s like swearing!)
Note: Obviously, my posts haven’t any intention of offending anybody or of criticizing the goodness, quality and tastes of any dish or recipe. What I write is just a personal consideration concerning the adherence of the recipe to the Italian ones, considering local habits, usages and traditions. The mood of the blog can be ironic and sometimes sarcastic, but with no aim of disappointing anybody. If somebody feels offended or struck by my words, please don’t. Moreover feel free to write me and explain your point of view (public channels like this blog are best welcome). It would be a pleasure for me. My intention is a constructive and sincere exchange of opinions.
