Bolognese sauce, or Ragu Alla Bolognese, is an Italian meat-based sauce for pasta which originated in Bologna in Northern Italy—also known as Bolognese Ragu. This version is the closest thing to the authentic recipe; however, there can still be many variations. I don't think there is an authentic version, but this is so close! Some use butter, others olive oil. For Ragu, I prefer olive oil. Some also add cream at the end; I don't think it needs it; the milk does the job.

The secret, of course, is in the sauce; it has to be cooked for a long time; the longer, the better. Cooking it longer breaks down the meat fibres, which thickens and intensifies the sauce. In the old days, they used to cook this for 5 to 6 hours as meat was very tough. Today 2 to 3 hours is plenty. Traditionally the meat is not minced but chopped using a knife. If you don't have pancetta, you could use pork mince also.

Some parts of Italy may also use butter instead of olive oil; I prefer virgin olive oil. Milk is also added towards the end of the cooking process to dampen the acidy of the tomato. The cream is an optional extra I usually use for dryer-style eggless pasta.

Spaghetti Bolognese sounds like an authentic Italian dish, but I've never seen it in Bologna. You will never find it in Italy, or at least I certainly haven't. You will find it in Europe, the US, Australia, and other countries. It's also known as spag bowl, a terrible name, so please don't ever use the term unless you're a young teenager!

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