Pasta tomato sauce, garlic and herbs. In Northern Italy "white sauce" is more common. However Italian cuisine is best identified by individual regions. Pasta dishes with lighter use of tomato are found in Trentino-Alto Adige and Emilia Romagna. In Bologna, the meat-based "Bolognese sauce" incorporates a small amount of tomato concentrate and a green sauce called "pesto" originates from Genoa. In Central Italy, there are sauces such as "tomato sauce", "amatriciana", "arrabbiata" and the egg-based "carbonara". Tomato sauces are also present in Southern Italian cuisine, where they originated. In Southern Italy more complex variations include pasta paired with fresh vegetables, olives,
Spaghetti alle vongole but with tomatoes and fresh basil, the addition of tomatoes being more frequent in the south. Traditionally, the bivalves are cooked quickly in hot olive oil to which plenty of garlic has been added. The live clams open during cooking, releasing a liquid that serves as the primary flavoring agent. The clams are then added to the firm pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or vermicelli), along with salt, black pepper (or red pepper), and a handful of finely chopped parsley. In the Liguria region of Italy, east of Genoa, "Spaghetti alle vongole (veraci)" means spaghetti with tiny baby clams in the shell,