This podcast returns in September 2025.

This time we're tracing the origins of Italian sauce, pasta, pizza and dish names. There are various theories as to why puttanesca shares its name with an Italian word for 'a woman of ill repute', but the etymology of ragù, which is linguistically connected to the word disgusting, is more straightforward. Ciabatta may appear traditional, but it was actually created in the 1980s, and its name is linked to feet. Surprisingly, lasagne might have English roots; a layered pasta and cheese dish called Loseyns appears in a 14th-century English cookbook. Find out why pineapple-and-ham pizza is called Hawaiian, and how the mozzarella, tomato and basil combination came to be named Margherita. Also featured are the origins of pasta names including pappardelle, tagliatelle, farfalle and cannelloni.

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