Linguine with clams in a white sauce is number seventeen among the most frequently seen items today at Italian restaurants in America. Made with white wine and lemon juice, garlic in abundance, and usually red pepper flakes to accompany small- or medium-sized clams in the shell and not all tossed over long strands of commercially made dried pasta then dotted with bits of fresh parsley, this is a bright, fresh-tasting and fairly light meal that is a favorite Italian food for many. It was the dish that my brother requested for his birthday every year when growing up, for example.
Found across the country, linguine and clams is a staple in New Jersey, the state where we lived when we were young. With one of the highest percentage of Italian-Americans per capita, the Garden State has long had numerous well-executed southern Italian-American dining options. This dish showcasing the bounty pulled from its long coastline is a natural there. And it was in the northeast where long strands of pasta an clams first arrived in this county.
The dish originated in the Naples area as spaghetti alle vongole, spaghetti and clams in translation. Quickly cooked, with a noticeable air of freshness and spontaneity, the preparation is part of the broad Neapolitan cucina povera tradition that immigrated in large numbers to America in the last century. The Philadelphia area, with the strong Neapolitan heritage of its restaurateurs might have been its initial American toehold by the 1930s. Baltimore, New York, Boston and other places near the water, and clams, were also serving the dish around mid-century. It started to become popular in the 1950s as restaurateurs influenced by the Neapolitan tradition became more widespread. And by the 1970s, pasta with clams in a white sauce was the most commonly found item in Italian restaurants across America. It was then on almost seven of ten Italian menus.
The clams. In the northeast, the clams are quahogs, hardshell clams. Littlenecks are the smallest, typically one to two inches, the most prized, and most likely to be seen at restaurants for the dish. Manila clams come from the Pacific and are found on the west coast. Both east and west coast clams are delicate, sweet-tasting, and meaty without being tough – if not overcooked. Canned clams has done duty at restaurants far from the eastern and western coasts, and in most homes, for years, too.
It is interesting to note that the dish is made with spaghetti in Italy. Spaghetti and clams is served today at restaurants along the coasts in Italy, far from its Naples area roots. In America, it is always made with linguine. It was spaghetti once here, too, but in the 1970s linguine replaced spaghetti when served with clams in America for some reason. Spaghetti is long, thin, and round. Linguine is also long, but a little thicker, mostly flat with an almost elliptical cross-section. The two dried pastas are similar, so there was not a substantive change to the dish. Both work well for it. Spaghetti comes from Naples. Linguine originates in Genoa, but is found throughout Italy. Spaghetti dominated Italian restaurant menus until the 1970s. For most inexpensive Italian restaurants until nearly then, the pasta dishes were ones made with spaghetti, one with ravioli, and maybe also manicotti and lasagna. Linguine was something a little different. Maybe it made a preparation with clams seem a little more special. That’s just speculation, though.
And there is also red sauce with clams, featuring tomatoes or a tomato sauce. It is often available as an another choice on the menu. It is not nearly as common, though, but can be very enjoyable when made with fresh tomatoes.
Linguine and clams at The Daily Catch in Boston's North End last summer.
Found across the country, linguine and clams is a staple in New Jersey, the state where we lived when we were young. With one of the highest percentage of Italian-Americans per capita, the Garden State has long had numerous well-executed southern Italian-American dining options. This dish showcasing the bounty pulled from its long coastline is a natural there. And it was in the northeast where long strands of pasta an clams first arrived in this county.
The dish originated in the Naples area as spaghetti alle vongole, spaghetti and clams in translation. Quickly cooked, with a noticeable air of freshness and spontaneity, the preparation is part of the broad Neapolitan cucina povera tradition that immigrated in large numbers to America in the last century. The Philadelphia area, with the strong Neapolitan heritage of its restaurateurs might have been its initial American toehold by the 1930s. Baltimore, New York, Boston and other places near the water, and clams, were also serving the dish around mid-century. It started to become popular in the 1950s as restaurateurs influenced by the Neapolitan tradition became more widespread. And by the 1970s, pasta with clams in a white sauce was the most commonly found item in Italian restaurants across America. It was then on almost seven of ten Italian menus.
The clams. In the northeast, the clams are quahogs, hardshell clams. Littlenecks are the smallest, typically one to two inches, the most prized, and most likely to be seen at restaurants for the dish. Manila clams come from the Pacific and are found on the west coast. Both east and west coast clams are delicate, sweet-tasting, and meaty without being tough – if not overcooked. Canned clams has done duty at restaurants far from the eastern and western coasts, and in most homes, for years, too.
It is interesting to note that the dish is made with spaghetti in Italy. Spaghetti and clams is served today at restaurants along the coasts in Italy, far from its Naples area roots. In America, it is always made with linguine. It was spaghetti once here, too, but in the 1970s linguine replaced spaghetti when served with clams in America for some reason. Spaghetti is long, thin, and round. Linguine is also long, but a little thicker, mostly flat with an almost elliptical cross-section. The two dried pastas are similar, so there was not a substantive change to the dish. Both work well for it. Spaghetti comes from Naples. Linguine originates in Genoa, but is found throughout Italy. Spaghetti dominated Italian restaurant menus until the 1970s. For most inexpensive Italian restaurants until nearly then, the pasta dishes were ones made with spaghetti, one with ravioli, and maybe also manicotti and lasagna. Linguine was something a little different. Maybe it made a preparation with clams seem a little more special. That’s just speculation, though.
And there is also red sauce with clams, featuring tomatoes or a tomato sauce. It is often available as an another choice on the menu. It is not nearly as common, though, but can be very enjoyable when made with fresh tomatoes.
Linguine and clams at The Daily Catch in Boston's North End last summer.
RSS Feed
