''Spaghetti alle vongole'' (),

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for "

spaghetti Spaghetti () is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta.spaghetti
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with

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two shel ...

s", is a dish that is very popular throughout

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, especially in

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(where it is part of traditional Neapolitan cuisine).

Types of clams

Palourde, or carpet-shell clams, ''vongola verace'', are used; or the small, Mediterranean wedge shell (''

Donax trunculus The truncate donax,, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, USA. onsulted 27-09-2021 abrupt wedge shell, wedge clam or coquina clam

Preparation

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prepare this dish two ways: ''in bianco'', i.e., with oil, garlic, parsley, and sometimes a splash of white wine; and ''in rosso'', like the former but with tomatoes and fresh basil, the addition of tomatoes being more frequent in the south. Traditionally, the bivalves are cooked quickly in hot olive oil to which plenty of garlic has been added. The live clams open during cooking, releasing a liquid that serves as the primary flavoring agent. The clams are then added to the firm pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or vermicelli), along with salt, black pepper (or red pepper), and a handful of finely chopped parsley.

Regional variations

In the

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

region of Italy, east of Genoa, ''Spaghetti alle vongole (veraci)'' means spaghetti with tiny baby clams in the shell, no more than the size of a thumbnail, with a white wine/

garlic sauce Garlic sauce is a sauce prepared using garlic as a primary ingredient. It is typically a pungent sauce, with the depth of garlic flavor determined by the amount of garlic used. The garlic is typically crushed or finely diced. Simple garlic sauce ...

. Linguine also may be used for the pasta in preference to spaghetti. Italian-American recipes sometimes use cream in this dish, but in its area of origin this would be considered most unorthodox. Gillian Riley considers cream alien to the spirit of Italian cooking, remarking that, "the way cream dumbs down flavor and texture is not appropriate to the subtle flavor and consistency of pasta.". In America cheese is sometimes added to this dish, although Italians believe it overpowers the simple flavors of the clams and of good quality olive oil.For a discussion about the Italian dislike of putting cheese on pasta dishes with seafood from an American point of view, se
Robert Trachtenberg, "Just Grate", ''New York Times Magazine'', March 30, 2008.
Trachtenberg terms the prohibition "a mantra." Linguine alle Vongole

References

External links

* * {{Cuisine of Italy Clam dishes Spaghetti dishes Neapolitan cuisine Italian seafood dishes

Types of clams

Regional variations

See also

References

External links