Foodies have been left outraged after discovering a classic bolognese recipe doesn't contain garlic, as Italian chefs vow to never add the much-loved aromatic to their authentic dish
Everyone has their idea of what a classic bolognese should be, whether that's minced beef and pork and tinned tomatoes, or mushrooms and Worcester sauce. Over the past few years, Italians have been dispelling the British perception of the bolognese - for example it shouldn't be too tomato-y. But perhaps the most surprising revelation is that you actually shouldn’t put garlic in your classic sauce.
People were baffled when one TikToker, Miles, revealed he’d spoken to an old Italian chef called Domenico who says that you shouldn't put garlic in a bolognese. Miles, who posts under the name @millyrocklobster, revealed that Domenico had talked him through step-by-step the traditional bolognese.
"There is no garlic in bolognese - he was very insistent on this," he revealed while re-creating the authentic recipe. Instead he starts with a finely diced sofrito (carrots, onion, celery) cooked low and slow in lots of olive oil, adding "that's how you get a beautiful base." He then saves the olive oil from the sofrito for something else.
Another rule Domenico taught was to use only beef - and never minced. Once the sofrito is done, you sear your beef. He also asserted that "you don’t add tomatoes. Only the paste" before adding some cheap wine. "You add your base and some good stock, and it will smell amazing." Shockingly, Domenico also made the case for a splash of milk in the sauce. "You don't have to", he said. Apparently a bit of milk adds a richer depth of flavour to your bolognese sauce.
The recipe, challenging our typical perception of the sauce, caused a stir, as many people chimed in with their own opinion of what makes a bolognese. "I've had authentic bolognese from Bologna, it's made with beef, pork and pancetta, not just beef. They also use beef stock and milk!" one person commented.
"Looks good but my nonna would strongly disagree and i've tasted her bolognese and I’m gonna side with her", another person added. People were truly shocked by the lack of garlic in the recipe. One person said "if there's no garlic in the bolognese there's no bolognese in me." Meanwhile, another person added "you lost me at no garlic."
Unfortunately for garlic lovers, it has no place in a traditional bolognese as the dish doesn't usually involve aromatics - it rarely even involves a bayleaf. Bolognese, as Italians do it, looks very different to how Brits enjoy it.
Another chef, Luca Corleone, also made a video about the bolognese recipe he uses at his restaurant, which he claims is "the original recipe as recorded for the first time ever by Pellegrino Artusi". It doesn't feature garlic - or tomatoes for that matter - and it only takes 15 minutes to cook.
Would you stop using garlic in your bolognese in favour of a authenticity? Let us know in the comments.
