The difference between lasagna and vincisgrassi

To understand the difference between lasagna and vincisgrassi, just think of the saying “Country you go, custom you find”. Each Italian region interprets the dishes of the culinary tradition in its own way, based on the local ingredients and at local traditions. The same goes for these two dishes, similar but different at the same time.

Different origins

The first difference between lasagna and vincisgrassi is given by the region of origin of these two dishes. The classic recipe of lasagne that everyone knows is associated withEmilia, in fact they are called lasagna alla bolognese even if the Neapolitans claim the paternity of this dish. THE vincisgrassion the other hand, I am a traditional dish of the Marches considered the characteristic dish of Christmas in the Marche region.

A bit of history

According to local popular beliefs, the vincisgrassi are so called from the name of Generale austriaco Alfred von Windisch-Graetzto whom a cook from Ancona dedicated the dish for having fought and won thesiege of Ancona by the Napoleonic troops in 1799. However, a famous chef from the Marches, Antonio Nebbiaalready in 1779 had inserted the recipe of the pincisgrass in her cookbook The Chef from Macerata. The ancestors of the vincisgrassi were a sort of white lasagna with truffles, a dish for the rich.

The difference between lasagna and vincisgrassi

It is forbidden to call them Marche lasagna! Though similar in appearance, unlike lasagna bolognese, i vincisgrassi they prepare with a coarsely chopped meat sauce and also contain the chicken innards. The Bolognese lasagna, on the other hand, involves the use of minced meat. Also, the bechamel in the Marche dish it is drier and you must feel the taste of spices, such as the clove and the nutmeg. While to be able to speak of lasagna it is sufficient that there are at least two layers of pasta, vincisgrassi cannot be called that if they do not have at least 7 overlapping sheets and interspersed with the filling.

The traditional recipe of vincisgrassi

Apart from the recipe transcribed in Antonio Nebbia’s recipe book and a few other written testimonies, the vincisgrassi recipe it always comes passed down orally from mother to daughter and from grandmother to granddaughter. There classic recipe is that biancawhich does not include tomato sauce but only béchamel, grated cheese and black truffle typical of the Marche hills. The original recipe calls for them to be added in addition to the meat chicken, goose or duck giblets. Don’t worry for our vegan readers: this dish too, like others of the Italian tradition, lends itself to being interpreted in key cruelty-freeclearly using a vegetable béchamel and vegetables, legumes and mushrooms and fantasy to taste