Italian-American Menu Items That Aren't From Italy At All

According to IBIS World, there were almost 60,000 Italian restaurants in the U.S. in 2023. Celebrated for its use of fresh ingredients and balance of flavors and textures, Italian cuisine isn't just popular in North America — it's a global favorite. Italian menu staples like spaghetti carbonara, Margherita pizza, and tiramisu boast universal appeal that transcends borders and gastronomic preferences.

Interestingly, many of the dishes found on the menus of Italian restaurants across the globe weren't originally created in the boot. Instead, they were invented by the Italian immigrants who typically made the U.S. their home at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Since Italian communities in America lacked access to some of the ingredients they were accustomed to in their homeland, such as certain varieties of cheeses and spices, they had to improvise and adjust their recipes. Driven by entrepreneurial spirit, many immigrants also opened restaurants that served Italian dishes modified to incorporate American ingredients and suit American palates.

Keen to find out which Italian restaurant staples have roots in Italian-American culture? Keep reading.

Baked ziti might be mistaken for an Italian dish due to the fact that ziti pasta has Italian origins. In fact, the word "ziti" is derived from "maccheroni della zita," or "bride's pasta," which are hollow, tubular noodles traditionally served at weddings in Italy. The misconception that baked ziti is an Italian dish might also stem from the fact that it was the favorite dish of Tony Soprano's wife, Carmela, on the popular television show "The Sopranos." While we don't know who invented baked ziti, it is widely considered to be an American-Italian creation inspired by pasta al forno, a baked Italian dish composed of ingredients like tomatoes, ground meat, cheese, and vegetables.

A frequent crowd-pleaser on the menus of Italian restaurants, baked ziti can be made with a wide range of ingredients to suit the specific tastes and preferences of chefs and diners alike. At its simplest, baked ziti features tomato sauce and cheese. Carnivores can also enjoy the dish with protein like ground beef, turkey, chicken, or even chopped up sausages. The ziti pasta can also be substituted with penne or rigatoni, which share a similar tubular shape that is ideal for holding sauces.

Most of us have dug into a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs at one point or another. True to its name, the hearty dish consists of spaghetti topped with a rich tomato sauce and tender balls of ground up meat. The dish is also often sprinkled with a little cheese, usually Parmesan, and garnished with herbs. Although this pasta specialty may feel inherently Italian, the combination of spaghetti and meatballs actually has roots much closer to home.

Spaghetti and meatballs as a dish was likely invented by Italian immigrants in America some time around the turn of the century. In Italy at the time, meatballs, known as polpettes, were normally served as a stand-alone dish without sauce. They were usually made with a blend of meat and soaked bread, and were typically much smaller than the meatballs we know and love in the U.S. Since meat was more affordable in the U.S. than it was in the Mediterranean country, Italian immigrants started making larger meatballs and pairing them with spaghetti, a familiar staple from their European homeland.

Modern pizza has its roots in Naples, Italy, where during the 18th century it provided a cheap source of sustenance that could be purchased from street vendors. At its most basic, the dish consisted of flatbread topped with garlic and salt, but it could also be made with tomatoes and cheese. Pizza began gaining global recognition after King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy visited Naples in 1889, where they were served three different pizzas. One of these was topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil to represent the colors of the Italian flag. It quickly became the queen's favorite dish and was later named pizza Margherita in her honor.

There is little doubt that we love our pizza. And while the dish originated in Italy, there are some pizza toppings that are uniquely American — one of these is pepperoni. The cured sausage is an American invention, first created by Italian immigrants around 1919 by infusing dry salami with paprika and chili-based spices. As pizza became more popular in the U.S. in the 1950s, pepperoni gradually became a topping of choice at pizzerias across the country. In fact, the first pizzeria to include pepperoni as a pizza topping is said to have been The Spot in New Haven, Connecticut.

Sometimes referred to as chicken parmigiana, chicken Parmesan consists of butterflied, breaded, and fried chicken cutlets topped with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella or Parmesan cheese. For extra substance, the dish is sometimes served over spaghetti. Despite the fact that spaghetti and marinara sauce are both Italian staples, chicken Parmesan has distinctly American origins.

Chicken parmesan was inspired by melanzane alla parmigiana, or eggplant Parmesan, an Italian specialty made with breaded eggplant slices layered with tomato sauce and cheese. Though its exact history isn't clear, the chicken rendition of the dish didn't become popular until sometime in the 1940s or 1950s. Part of the plate's claim to fame stemmed from the fact that Italians found meat was more affordable in the New World than their home country. One of the earliest — if not the earliest — reference to chicken Parmesan comes from 1944 Maryland, where the poultry was served over spaghetti.

Caesar salad appears on the menus of many Italian restaurants in the U.S. The classic recipe for the dish combines Romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, Parmesan cheese, and a creamy dressing made with Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic (it sometimes also contains anchovies). More elaborate versions of the dish can also include bacon, grilled chicken, and cherry tomatoes. Caesar salad is typically enjoyed as a starter or a side dish.

While most of us have probably tried a Caesar salad at one time or another, not many realize that it's not a traditional Italian dish but rather an Italian-American invention with a backstory in Mexico. And, no, this salad wasn't invented by Julius Caesar. Instead, the dish was concocted by an Italian-American chef, Caesar Cardini, at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, on the July 4, 1924. According to lore, when Cardini started running low on ingredients, he improvised using what he had left in the kitchen, creating the first ever version of Caesar salad. Cardini's salad was such a success that by the 1940s he was selling his dressing in a number of American cities.

A popular appetizer or side dish served alongside pastas, soups, or salads, garlic bread is usually made by spreading a mix of garlic, butter, and herbs on slices of bread, often a baguette. A sprinkling of olive oil and a little cheese is also sometimes added to this flavorful combination.

Although garlic bread is commonly served at Italian restaurants, it is an American — rather than an Italian — invention. While it's unclear who first paired baguettes with garlic and butter, the practice of frying stale bread in oil and flavoring it with garlic was common in 15th century Venice. It is likely that once Italians arrived on American shores, they adapted this practice to local ingredients, using baguettes instead of rustic loaves and butter instead of olive oil.

To make garlic bread, slice a baguette diagonally, leaving the base intact so it remains a loaf. Spread the garlicky mixture between each slice before wrapping the bread in aluminum foil. Place the loaf in the oven until the butter melts, infusing the bread with flavor. Remove the foil and bake the bread until it turns crispy and golden.

People often associate rainbow cookies with Italy due to their iconic aesthetic. However, despite their suggestive name, these cookies don't feature the seven colors of the rainbow. Instead, the layered dessert has three colors — green, white, and red — which represent the Italian flag. Also, sometimes called Italian Flag cookies, Neapolitans, Venetian cookies, or tri-color cookies, rainbow cookies were likely invented by Sicilian immigrants in New York some time in the late 19th or early 20th century.

Rainbow cookies resemble a sponge cake rather than cookies. The cake is baked in sheet pans before being portioned into rectangles or squares. Rainbow cookies are said to have been inspired by a colorful Italian dessert called gelato di Campagna. However, unlike gelato di Campagna, which is prepared with sugar and candied fruits, rainbow cookies are made with almond paste and marzipan cake. Meanwhile, the different layers of the cake are separated with two layers of jam and encased in a top and bottom layer of chocolate.

Blending tender pasta with a warm, hearty sauce, spaghetti Bolognese is a classic dish that is both familiar and satisfying. It's also very easy to make, which makes it a go-to meal in many households. However, while spaghetti Bolognese may be a staple at many Italian bistros, the pasta dish doesn't actually hail from the boot, or Bologna, as explained by the mayor of the northern Italian city in an interview with The Telegraph. "It is strange to be famous all over the world for a dish that isn't ours... Of course we are happy that it draws attention to our city, but we would prefer to be known for the quality food that is part of our culinary tradition," he says.

Despite not being Italian per se, spaghetti Bolognese is believed to have been inspired by ragù alla Bolognese, or Bologna sauce. The gravy actually originates from Bologna, where it was used as a topping for tagliatelle, or long, flat ribbon pasta. Traditional Bologna sauce was made with minced meat, onions, and tomatoes. While the sauce used in spaghetti Bolognese also utilizes these ingredients, the American-Italian or British-Italian creation (the exact history of the dish is a mystery) also commonly includes additional ingredients, such as red wine, celery, and carrots.

Fettuccine Alfredo is a bit of an anomaly on this list. While the pasta dish is hugely popular in the U.S. and a rarity in Italy, it is actually Italian in origin. Fettuccine Alfredo — which wasn't known by that name at the time — was invented by Alfredo di Lelio, a Roman restaurateur, in the early 20th century. Made with fettuccine, butter, and Parmesan, the dish was supposed to help Alfredo's wife regain strength after giving birth. Fettuccine Alfredo eventually earned a spot on the official menu of Alfredo's restaurant, Alfredo alla Scrofa, under the name "fettuccine all'Alfredo."

In 1920, American silent film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks visited Alfredo's restaurant in Rome during their honeymoon. They were so impressed with fettuccine Alfredo that they brought the recipe back to the U.S., sharing it with prominent figures such as Albert Einstein and Amelia Earhart. Alfredo's restaurant, Alfredo alla Scrofa, still exists and continues to serve plates of original fettuccine Alfredo, although today the dish can be enhanced with black truffle, white truffle, or caviar. Meanwhile, in the U.S., fettuccine Alfredo is often served with heavy cream, meat, and seafood.

Translating to "brother devil" in Italian, "fra diavolo" immediately indicates that a dish likely comes with a mighty kick. It also hints at the fact that a "fra diavolo" sauce is bound to make an impression no matter what it is paired with. In fact, "fra diavolo" can be served over a range of seafood, including squid, shrimp, mussels, scallops, and squid — not just lobster. Like many other American-Italian culinary creations, this dish is typically served with spaghetti or linguine.

Although its name suggests otherwise, lobster fra diavolo was created in the kitchens of Italian immigrants. Popular in the New York and Boston areas — both well-known for their lobster — lobster fra diavolo is said to have found its way onto the menus of Italian restaurants by the 1930s. In fact, the spicy dish was allegedly enjoyed by none other than the legendary singer Frank Sinatra. To get into specifics, the "fra diavolo" sauce itself is made with tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. While its precise culinary heritage is uncertain, one restaurateur has suggested that the dish might have been invented to mask the taste of spoiling seafood.

Hearty and satisfying, cioppino is a rich seafood stew invented in San Francisco by Italian immigrant fishermen in the mid-19th century. According to one popular story, fishermen at the time would cook the leftovers of their catch with tomatoes, onions, wine, and herbs, giving birth to this flavorful dish. The word "cioppino" actually translates to "to make soup from fish" in Italian. However, some are adamant that the dish has been named after the phrase "chip in," referencing the idea of pooling resources to prepare a communal stew.

According to its website, Alioto's on the wharf in San Francisco was one of the first restaurants to serve cioppino, bringing the dish to the hungry masses. Founded by Sicilian immigrants in 1925, the stall served the dish to Italian laborers. Meanwhile, one of the earliest printed recipes for cioppino appeared in "The Refugee's Cookbook" in 1906, which was created as a fundraiser to support those affected by the 1906 earthquake and fire, which destroyed 80% of San Francisco.

Penne alla vodka is associated with Italy for a range of reasons. Firstly, it's made with penne, a short, cylindrically-shaped Italian pasta with diagonally cut ends. The dish also contains other Italian staples, including tomatoes, garlic, onions, and Parmesan cheese. Perhaps it's the addition of vodka that gives the dish away, suggesting that the dish may have international, rather than Italian, origins. According to many chefs, it's precisely this strong spirit that brings out the distinctive fruitiness of the tomatoes in the sauce.

The origins of penne alla vodka are disputed, with some claiming that it was created in Italy and others attributing its invention to chefs in the U.S. While we may never know the truth, according to some accounts, the dish was first concocted by Chef Luigi Franzese at the Orsini Restaurant in New York in the 1970s. In turn, others claim that penne alla vodka was invented by James Doty, a Columbia University graduate in the 1980s. When it comes to print, however, the first mention of adding vodka to a sauce appeared in a cookbook memoir by an Italian chef Ugo Tognazzi entitled "l'Abbuffone" in 1974, suggesting that the dish may in fact be of Italian origin.

Also sometimes called Sunday sauce, Sunday gravy likely gets its name from the fact that it takes a while to prepare. More specifically, it was traditionally made on Sundays, a day when families often had more time to cook. The sauce is typically prepared with a whole bunch of ingredients — such as tomatoes, veal, Italian sausage, meatballs, and pork neck bones — and is simmered for hours to allow it to thicken and ensure that all the flavors blend together.

The immigrants who arrived in America at the turn of the 20th century were accustomed to eating vegetables and grains, both of which were more affordable and readily available in their homeland than meat. However, the situation wasn't the same in the U.S., with meat being more wallet-friendly. Suddenly, Italian immigrants found themselves able to incorporate more meat into their diets and the Sunday gravy was born. While the first Sunday gravy usually was made with braciole, or pork flank, this recipe evolved over time to include a variety of other protein types.