Sauces

Besides pasta, one important element to consider when it comes to Italian gastronomic tradition is the wide range of condiments that combine with it. The first sauces that combined with pasta in the Middle Ages were mainly cheese-based. During the Renaissance they became sweet and spicy and were used on pasta cooked in meat broth. Cheese-based condiments were used both for dinners of rich nobles and dinners of simple peasants: some historical episodes report dishes composed by cheese lasagna or ravioli and maccheroni combined with massive quantities of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Even Boccaccio described their tastiness in his work ‘Decameron’. Meat-based and vegetable-based sauces began to be consumed during Renaissance together with the sweet and spicy sauces, whereas the seafood-based ones were consumed in the coastal towns, especially in the isles.