How Olive Garden's Shrimp Scampi Differs From The Original Dish

You can find a medley of Italian and Italian-American dishes on the Olive Garden menu, from calamari to chicken parmigiana. Another favorite dish you can order is shrimp scampi: A delicious mix of shrimp in a sauce made of garlic, butter, and white wine. Shrimp scampi can be served with or without pasta, and Olive Garden's version comes on a bed of angel hair or capellini pasta. But there are a few key differences between Olive Garden's version and the version you might find in a more traditional Italian-American kitchen.

Classic shrimp scampi simply contains shrimp and sauce, with no extras, besides the optional pasta. Olive Garden's version adds asparagus and sliced tomatoes, bulking up the meal and adding some more nutrients by way of vegetables. While Olive Garden's version doesn't purport to be classic on their menu, diners should be aware before ordering that they might get a few more greens than they bargained for.

Where did shrimp scampi originally come from? The origins of this dish are debated; while one version of the events places the dish's birth back in Genoa during the 1300s, others purport that it was invented in the United States. Regardless, the first documentation of the dish dates back to England, published in a cookbook by Hannah Glasse in the mid-1700s. The dish began to grow in popularity in the United States in the 20th century when Italian-American restaurants began to regularly put it on menus.

The word scampi actually refers to another type of shellfish: a small, lobster-like creature that you may have heard referred to as a langoustine. These shellfish aren't as widely available in the United States as they are in Italy; out of necessity, Italian-American cooks may have substituted shrimp into dishes that would have traditionally been made with scampi back home.

While Olive Garden's shrimp scampi recipe seems like a departure from the norm, it's actually fairly commonplace to see variations on this dish. Many recipes claim to be classic shrimp scampi, but there are several ways to prepare the meal that deviate from simple shrimp in butter-wine sauce. Some cooks, for example, prepare baked shrimp scampi, which coats the shrimp in a mixture of breadcrumbs and parmesan. The dish then goes into the oven until golden on top and crispy.

Other shrimp scampi variations include various additions of fresh herbs, including minced thyme or even tarragon, as well as additions of extra vegetables, as in Olive Garden's version. With the origins of the dish uncertain and the recipe itself a variation of another dish entirely, it's not hard to imagine that each cook may have their own preferences when it comes to preparation and ingredients. Whatever way you prefer shrimp scampi, the combination of fresh seafood and buttery sauce is sure to impress.