Are You Sure It’s Italian?
Italian cuisine has spread so widely that plenty of dishes now feel like they’ve always belonged in Italy, even when they actually started somewhere else or were heavily reinvented by immigrants abroad. Some were created in Italian-American kitchens, while others were given an Italian name for marketing purposes. From spaghetti classics to famous desserts, here are 20 “Italian” foods that aren't actually Italian.
1. Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs may be one of America’s favorite Italian dishes, but you won’t find giant portions of the combination served together in Italy. Italian immigrants living in America modified their recipes to account for the relatively inexpensive meat available in America. Large meatballs made more sense in America than they did in Italy.
2. Fettuccine Alfredo
Americans didn’t invent fettuccine Alfredo, but they did modify the original recipe from Rome. According to The Spruce Eats, Americans popularized a creamy variation of the meal when travelers whipped up heavier dairy and served it abroad. The restaurants overseas took it from there.
3. Pepperoni Pizza
As American as pizza is, pepperoni pizza is actually made with an American-made meat. The name pepperoni sounds similar to peperoni, which is the plural version of the Italian word for bell peppers. Despite the similarities, you won’t find spicy cured sausage sandwiches piled high with cheese on Italian menus.
4. Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan is another meal that was changed by Italian immigrants in America. It probably developed from a similar Italian dish called eggplant Parmesan when meat became more accessible. In America, chicken parm is usually a breaded chicken cutlet smothered in tomato sauce and cheese.
5. Garlic Bread
The Italians definitely have bread and they grow garlic, but Italians didn’t start slathering buttery garlic sauces on dough slices to serve with their pasta. That idea was created by Italian immigrants who adapted traditional bruschetta and other garlic-rubbed Italian breads.
6. Italian Dressing
Italian dressing like you’d find at any American grocery store is hardly Italian at all. Traditional Italian dressing is typically very simple, with olive oil, vinegar, and only a few extra ingredients. Italian dressing was invented in America, where the name now merely describes the overall flavor.
7. Italian Wedding Soup
Italian wedding soup is beloved by many, but it isn’t served at Italian weddings. Italiano translates to Italian in English, and matrimonio means marriage. Italian wedding soup is named as such because it involves small meatballs and greens “marrying” when cooked in broth.
8. Caesar Salad
Caesar salad might lead you to believe it has ties to Julius Caesar and ancient Rome. Instead, it was created in Mexico by restaurateur Caesar Cardini in the 1920s. Italians came to America and started restaurants, but the original Caesar salad recipe wasn’t born in Italy.
9. Italian Nachos
Italian nachos are one of the newer inventions that clearly doesn’t belong in Italy. Restaurants usually substitute Italian for a type of pasta instead of tortilla chips, and then top the noodles with cheese, meat, and sauce. You won’t find them at authentic Italian restaurants.
10. Rainbow Cookies
Rainbow cookies are another dessert invented in the United States by Italian immigrants. While the three cookie layers are separated by frosting, the colors represent the Italian flag. Like the name suggests, however, these treats are as American as they get.
11. Baked Ziti
You won’t find baked ziti on authentic Italian menus, but it was inspired by traditional Italian dishes. Baked ziti combines pasta, tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and sometimes meat into a casserole. It originated in Italy, but the American version takes several liberties with the recipe.
12. Pasta Primavera
Pasta primavera might sound authentically Italian to those who don’t know the history, but it was invented in the United States. Restaurants in New York popularized the meal in the 1970s, and like others on this list, pasta primavera combined normally Italian ingredients to create something new.
13. Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp scampi actually sounds incorrect if you’re an Italian speaker. Scampiare means to clean or shrink, while scampi are small crustaceans. Italian immigrants in America changed the recipe to include shrimp instead of scampi when the latter was difficult to source.
14. Italian Sub Sandwiches
Italian sub sandwiches, also known as hoagies, heroes, or grinders depending on where you’re from, are anything but Italian. Americans and Italian immigrants in America adapted the idea of a sub with cold cuts, cheese, veggies, and dressing. You won’t find oversize subs in Italy, but they might as well be Italy’s culinary contribution to America.
15. Chicken Marsala
Chicken Marsala contains Marsala wine, which is made in Italy. Italian immigrants are responsible for coming up with America’s favorite Marsala takeout meal when they combined the flavors with chicken. Restaurants in Italy may serve chicken Marsala, but Americans developed the meal to suit their tastes.
16. Spaghetti Bolognese
Most of Italy knows this dish as just Bolognese. The popular meat sauce is called ragù alla Bolognese, and it’s typically served with tagliatelle pasta instead of spaghetti. Spaghetti Bolognese is an Americanized version that restaurants worldwide now serve.
17. Tiramisu Martini
Sure, tiramisu is Italian. So what happens when restaurants put those flavors in a cocktail? They call it a tiramisu martini. Coffee, cream, and dessert flavors combine to create drinks served worldwide that sound and taste like the original but don’t actually resemble it at all.
18. Italian Soda
An Italian soda is sweetened sparkling water with flavoring and sometimes cream. The name itself is the biggest giveaway that this beverage isn’t traditional in Italy. Italian soda sounds fancier and more authentic than it actually is.
19. Mozzarella Sticks
Mozzarella sticks are breaded, fried cheese sticks served with marinara sauce as an appetizer. The gooey cheese alone is Italian, but the fried American adaptation wasn’t! Italians immigrated to America and started serving fried mozzarella widely, and Americans loved it.
20. Italian Cream Cake
Italian cream cake is especially misleading because it doesn't appear to have originated in Italy at all. The rich layered dessert became popular in the American South and usually contains coconut, pecans, and cream cheese frosting. Exactly how it got its name remains unclear, but its reputation as an Italian classic is largely a matter of branding.
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