Marinara Called “Mariner’s” in English, Marinara sauce is an Italian tomato sauce that obviously has tomatoes in it as the major ingredient and then there are some more elements.
There are numerous variations of marinara sauce which usually involve the inclusion of spices, wine, olives etc.
In Italy, people refer to the sauce only in connection with other recipes; tomato/marinara sauce on its own is known as Sugo or Salsa (Pomodoro or Pummaroia in Neapolitan language).
Health Facts:
Calories per serving: 64 cal
Fat per serving: 3.7 grams
Carbohydrates per serving: 1.5 grams
Being a rich source of vitamin C, marinara sauce provides 67% of the daily nutritional value based on a 2000-calorie diet. Marinara is good for your immune system and you have an intake on 40% vitamin A, 10% of iron, and 7% of calcium when eating the sauce.
Marinara sauce is rich in tomatoes which means it can help lower the risk of hypertension. The sauce contains a high level of lycopene which is a nutrient with antioxidant effects and is said to help cure a variety of cancers.
Ingredients
tablespoon olive oil: 1
cloves garlic- chopped: 2
tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped: 5
teaspoon white sugar: 1
cup water: 1/4
teaspoons fresh basil, chopped: 2
Salt and pepper to taste
How To Make Marinara Dipping Sauce
The sauce is prepared in just a few simple steps.
- Heat oil in a large skillet.
- Toss garlic in the skillet and sauté until it turns light brown and is tender. Ascertain that you do not burn the garlic.
- Add tomatoes, sugar, water, basil, salt, and pepper and stir well.
- Bring the pan content to boil.
- Cover and let it cook on low heat for about 45 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Serve warm.
Trivia:
The origin of this sauce is discussed in various cultural theories. One of these theories says that cooks who were aboard the Neapolitan ships when returning from America invented marinara sauce in the mid-16th century following the introduction of tomatoes to Europe by Spaniards.
On the contrary, another theory suggests that marinara sauce was first prepared by the wives of the Neapolitan sailors when they returned from the sea.
Nonetheless, two volumes of the first Italian cookbook named Lo Saalco alla Moderna (The Modern Steward) were published in 1692 and 1694 by the Italian chef Antonio Latini. The book included tomato sauce, but this was the initial version which was more like tomato salsa.
Common dishes that Italian refer to as typical marinara items include ‘spaghetti alla marinara’ which, as the name indicates, means spaghetti with marinara/sugo/salsa in it.
Most people confuse ‘spaghetti alla marinara’ with ‘spaghetti marinara’ which is another common dish in countries such as South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. This dish, however, only involves the use of tomato sauce blended with fresh seafood.