Did the title shock you too? Well, I completely understand because I too got shocked the first time I read ‘whore’s pasta’. My first question upon seeing the name of the pasta in a friend’s WhatsApp story was- Does anything like this even exist? If it does, where did it get its name from? I know similar questions are on your mind too. So, this article is an attempt to clear out all doubts and answer all your questions.
Upon researching about whore’s pasta, I came to know that the pasta is made with linguini pasta with a briny tomato sauce. The other ingredients are olives, capers, meat/fish, and anchovies. The pasta is made by sauteing onions, garlic, and anchovies with olive oil. Tomatoes, capers, basil, and typical seasonings like black pepper and salt are added to make the sauce. You can use either linguini or spaghetti pasta to make this dish.
Moving on to the name of the pasta, this dish was indeed invented by whores. It is believed that Neapolitan whores needed something to savour while waiting for their customers. They needed to make something that is quick, easy, and can be made with cheap or affordable ingredients. The first Puttanesca pasta was made with anything that the Neapolitan whores could find in their pantry and was loved by them. The briny pasta then transcended boundaries and reached places and was loved by people who love umami hint in their food. The name of the pasta was thus ‘Puttanesca’- slang for prostitutes in Italy.
While some people believe that the aforementioned story is the reason behind the origin of Puttanesca, others believe that the dish was invented in the 1950s in a popular Ischia restaurant when the vendor had some hungry customers who told him to make ‘anything out of garbage’. Upon listening to them, the cook made a pasta dish out of anything that was available in the pantry. The dish became a hit and was in high demand till some days in the restaurant.
So, if you want something delicious, quick, and budget-friendly, don’t think twice and go for a filling bowl of Puttanesca.