5. Spaghetti & Meatballs
Traveling to Italy anytime soon? Don’t expect to find Spaghetti & Meatballs listed on the menu of any authentic Italian restaurant. In fact, if you did order meatballs in Italy, they would be served to you without the addition of pasta, and could be made of anything from beef to turkey to fish. That’s because, contrary to popular belief, this “Italian dish” was not actually invented in Italy, but in our very own New York City.
Italian immigrants were the original creators of this classic dish. Because beef was more affordable in America, they began making larger meatballs, combining them with plates full of spaghetti and marinara sauce.