What Separates Greek From Italian Meat Sauce

When we think of pasta with meat sauce, we tend to envision one dish in particular: Spaghetti Bolognese. And in a lot of ways, that's fair because Italian food has had an outsized role in the culinary world. Especially in America, and especially since the 20th century (fun fact: a prominent figure responsible for that was Ettore "Hector" Boiardi, also known as Chef Boyardee). But Italy is far from the only Mediterranean country with a notable meat sauce. Greece, in particular, is right around the corner (and is said to have first invented lasagna), with its version of meat sauce that tastes very different from Italian Bolognese.

But what makes these two sauces so different? There are several aspects — including whether or not to include garlic — but the most significant difference is a little bit surprising. In particular, a single key ingredient in Greek meat sauce gives it its distinctive taste: cinnamon.

Said to have originated in the city of Bologna (hence the name), Bolognese sauce is a type of ragù. The first step to making a traditional Bolognese ragù involves preparing a sofrito — a combination of diced celery, onion, and carrot. Once the vegetables soften, add the meat, then liquids (usually milk, stock, wine, and crushed tomatoes, at different times). A traditional Bolognese doesn't even involve garlic because Northern Italian (where Bologna is located) cooking typically involves either onions or garlic, but not both. With Bolognese sauce, the prominent flavor of the sauce comes from the meat, with accents from other ingredients. (Sometimes there's not even salt and pepper.)  

Ground beef is the most common meat in Bolognese, but you can also use ground veal, pork, or a combination of both. Traditional recipes often call for adding pancetta, but in the early stages of the dish. 

Meanwhile, it's not that Greek meat sauce — or kima – doesn't get the flavor from the meat — but it also gets it from other sources. It uses ground beef (although you can also substitute ground pork), tomatoes, onions, and red wine, but from there, it diverges pretty significantly from Bolognese. In addition to olive oil being optional and garlic being necessary, it goes wild on the seasoning. Salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, and mint can all appear in Greek meat sauces, but the most guaranteed spice, and the one that gives it its distinct flavor, is cinnamon.

To many Americans, spicing savory dishes with cinnamon may seem anathema, but it's common in Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian cuisines. In Greek cuisine, its most notable use is in meat sauce. If you've ever eaten Cincinnati chili and were unable to identify why it tastes so different from red meat sauces you're used to, the cinnamon (along with a couple of other spices like allspice and cloves) is the biggest reason why; it's essentially a variant of Greek meat sauce that evolved from Greek immigrants to the area.

The addition of these spices means a Greek meat sauce tastes almost nothing like an Italian one, even though they use some of the same basic components. As far as which to use, that's up to you and your personal preferences.