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,
Bolognese sauce is often used for lasagna, whereas in Bologna (and elsewhere in Italy) "ragù alla bolognese" is used. Bolognese sauce Bolognese sauce (, ; known in Italian as ragù alla bolognese, , ragù bolognese, or simply ragù) is a meat-based sauce originating from Bologna, Italy, hence the name. In Italian cuisine, it is customarily used to dress "tagliatelle al ragù" and to prepare "lasagne alla bolognese". In the absence of tagliatelle, it can also be used with other broad, flat pasta shapes, such as pappardelle or fettuccine. Genuine "ragù alla bolognese" is a slowly cooked sauce, and its preparation involves several