Authentic Italian pasta recipes

These are dishes that you find in traditional Italian restaurants, as opposed to modern or "fusion" pasta restaurants - including Japanese pasta restaurants that are becoming popular. These new-fangled restaurants often feature dishes that Italians would not have even heard of, let alone eaten.

I prefer the term "authentic Italian pasta" rather than just "classic pasta" so as to differentiate pasta dishes that truly originated in Italy, versus those that have become "classic" even though they originated in countries like the United States.

Within Italy, different authentic Italian pasta recipes originated from different parts of the country:

• Northern Italian pasta dishes include pesto, which is vegetarian and somewhat simple. But they mostly tend to feature meat and includes authentic italian pasta recipes like spaghetti bolognese;
  
  
• Central Italian pasta dishes use simple sauces like the original pasta carbonara - not to be confused with the US-version that uses cream, which might be considered a "classic" pasta dish;
  
  
• Southern Italian pasta dishes use more garlic and olive oil, like spaghetti aglio olio. They may also be more spicy, like Penne Arrabbiata.

In contrast, some pasta dishes have been around long enough to be considered "classic pasta dishes" even though they originated in the US.

A good example would be baked macaroni and cheese. Another is chicken marcaroni soup, which is a pasta dish that originated probably in Hong Kong or China, but has become extremely popular throughout East and Southeast Asia.

This section links you to some truly authentic Italian pasta dishes, including:

• Pasta Arrabbiata
• Pasta Bolognese
• Pasta Carbonara
• Pasta Marinara
• Pasta with Pesto
• Pasta Puttanesca
• Linguini Vongole (red) and (white)
• Spaghetti aglio olio

You may notice that many of these pasta recipes are quite basic and simple, containing only a few ingredients. This is a sign of that they are truly authentic Italian pasta recipes.

In the past, people tended to eat more simply. In fact, even in Italy today, the pasta dishes tend to be more plain and simple compared to, say, American or Japanese pasta dishes. It's the same with Italian pizza, they have relatively few toppings.

Once, when I travelled to Italy with some Singaporean journalists, I ordered a dish of Pasta with pesto. When the dish arrived, my Singaporean friend looked at it and exclaimed: "Like this only?" He was expecting something a lot more elaborate and was shocked by the plainess of it.

But once accustomed to authentic Italian pasta - and provided they are well-prepared using good quality ingredients - you will find that even simple dishes can be very satisfying and enjoyable.