Pasta And Ketchup

tasha

tasha

Community Member
Nov 12, 2014
130
4
18
Taste and flavour is what Italian food is all about and let me tell you that if an Italian can see someone putting ketchup on their pasta or food you will find a very tempramental Italian yelling at you! Herbs and spices, Olive oil and even salt are allowed but artificial flavourants are JUST NOT HEARD OF!
 
I have mentioned this in another thread, but if I could, I would shout it from the mountain tops: ketchup is artificial, like you said, it's unhealthy and, not to mention, fattening!
Proof: 100 gr. of tomato sauce has about 30 calories (if it's just the sauce, no meat or other ingredients). 100 gr. of ketchup has more than 100 calories! Plus, ketchup has way to much sugar in it and it's not as nutritive as the sauce.

Also, tomato sauce is made with real tomatoes (I know that for sure, I worked in a "tomato factory" before, I've seen how tomato sauce really is made :) ), while ketchup is probably not :P It has too many additives in it. I'm not saying it should be banned from all supermarkets, it's not not as good as tomato sauce :)
Besides, Italians are very proud of their traditions and tomato sauce is one of them. They're famous for their entire fields of tomatoes and the many factories that produce the sauce, it's a shame to prefer ketchup instead.
 
I agree with Rosie. Ketchup is so artificial! When we ate in Italy, I always felt like they prided themselves on fresh, natural ingredients.

Plus, I think ketchup on pasta is kind of gross, lol.
 
Ketchup has always been kind of gross to me. Also, not to be rude, but ketchup on pasta sounds disgusting. :confused: Italians pride them selves on fresh ingredients and good tasting food, so adding something like ketchup probably seems like an insult.
 
Ketchup is for fries and onion rings as far as I am concerned! Put it this way, you wouldn't impress a date by adding ketchup to pasta or pizza. I only add black pepper and oil or butter to mine if there is no sauce as I like it like that. It would seem wrong also to drown the pasta in sauce as I see some place do. I once had a watery sauce and I sent it back.
 
I just ketchup is good on fries or burgers. It seems quite odd for ketchup and pasta to taste good together. I guess it is all a matter of opinion. Ketchup has a taste that seems right just for salty or greasy foods.
 
I think ketchup on pasta is disgusting, I hope I have not offended anyone. So, if Italians say it is a "no - no", then I think they know what they are talking about. Ketchup is a condiment, it is not a sauce or even a spice, so I just don't understand it when people turn to it to add flavor to their cooking. I personally think it should be restricted to French fries and burgers or as some kind of dipping sauce, that is about it.
 
I add ketchup to my burger and on to pizza, I pour chilli sauce. Not the other way a round. Don't know why. :D Although I don't fancy french fries and I will never eat them with pizza, ketchup seems to go well with fries. I like to add thousand island and mayo to my pizza, and eat them with salad, but never fries. That is just my personal preference.
 
Last edited:
Gross, I've never heard of someone putting ketchup on pasta, though I should not judge! I put ketchup on some pretty awful things! I have put it on chips before. And when I say chips, I mean actual chips, not french fries. So, I really have no room to talk! I definitely understand why someone would be insulted if you put ketchup on their cooking, especially something like pasta where it does not belong.

I tend to prefer herbs and spices anyways. I like a variety of them, though. I know many people who tend to cook with the same herbs, spices, and sauces with every meal, and I get sick of them very fast. I like to experiment with new spices and herbs so that I can acquire a different taste for many different dishes and cooking methods!
 
Aaaah, ketchup pasta, such an American thing to do.
People from the States, I'm pretty sure that the most of them have no sensitivity left in their taste buds, from all the extra sugar and extra sodium in all of their fast food and prepared food. Actually, I also remember the story of an Italian girl who went to America for a foreign exchange and when she came back home, she felt like all the Italian food was boring and had no taste.

I guess we already knew that "subtle" was not something for North Americans.

But if they're happy with it, whatever. They're the one with the stupid healthcare system who will have to pay for their health problems after a lifetime of bad diet. *sigh*

I do like ketchup on a burger, though. And curry ketchup on fries and currywurst. And ketchup in sweet and sour sauce. Yup. I never really had ketchup spaghetti. If it comes to that, I'd rather just put butter in my pasta and eat it this way.
 
Ketchup has its role in life. But using it with pasta is not one of them! Keep it for its most basic role of chips, burgers and the like. But the idea of using it to flavor pasta, rice or anything else that it was not designed for, really doesn't appeal to me. It feels like sacrilege!
 
Ketchup on pasta is something I'm not sure I even want to think of. Ketchup is far too artificial for pasta. It doesn't take must to make a simple tomato sauce anyway, which is far better. I think ketchup should just stick to being used as an accompaniment for chips, burgers and other fried foods...
 
I'm all for ketchup when it comes to a burger or dipping fries in it, but for Italian food - no way! Being half Italian I can tell you my Nonna would have just about had a heart attack if she saw us doing something like that! A delicious home made tomato sauce with lots of delicious Italian herbs would be fine, but the mass produced store bought ketchup? No way.
 
Ketchup on burgers, chips even some sorts of meat is okay but don't let me catch you putting it on my pasta buddy or else!! How can you eat ketchup on pasta that has a sauce made so delicious with so many herbs and flavours !!! shame on you, I have also tried it once....don't tell my mom!
 
Top Bottom