Why German tourists are to blame for spaghetti bolognese – the beloved Italian pasta dish that doesn’t even exist in Italy

If your go-to pasta order is spaghetti bolognese, then we have some bad news for you.

One of the most frequent mistakes tourists make when travelling to Italy is ordering spaghetti bolognese without even reading the menu – expecting to finally taste an “authentic” take on their favourite Italian dish.

It’s likely that a waiter less versed in bumbling tourists would have to make further enquiries about what exactly their confused customers want, and then probably end up serving a steaming plate of tagliatelle al ragù – perhaps with the admonishment, “ … but please, signore, don’t call it spaghetti bolognese.”

That's because the dish simply doesn’t exist in authentic Italian cuisine. You won’t see it on any traditional menu. It’s a bit like going to America and ordering a “US sandwich” or a “meat panino” instead of a hamburger.

“Spaghetti bolognese is a fake name invented by foreigners, that's how they mistakenly call our signature regional dish tagliatelle al ragù,” says chef Emilio Barbieri of top AnnA restaurant in Modena, a gourmand destination located in the eastern Emilia-Romagna region.

“I think the first ones to spread this twisted horrible name were the German tourists visiting the main city of Bologna – hence the adjective ‘Bolognese’ – who fell in love with the meaty sauce and everywhere they'd go, they would always order it.”