Vincisgrassi, also spelled vincesgrassi, is a typical Marchepasta dish similar to lasagna, considered one of the gastronomic emblems of the Marche cuisine.[1]
Vincisgrassi are flat pasta (usually made with 100 grams of flour for each egg), a meat sauce called ragù (in this recipe, differently from other ragùs; the variety of meats is coarsely chopped and mixed with cloves, celery, onion, carrot, chicken giblets, tomatoes and white wine) and béchamel sauce with much nutmeg.
Origins and history
According to tradition, the Italian name of the dish derives from simplification and italianization of the name of the general Alfred von Windisch-Grätz who defeated the Napoleonic troops in the siege of Ancona in 1799. A lady from Ancona prepared this dish in his honor. The general appreciated the dish so much that the population decided to name it for him.[2]
It is not clear, however, if the dish was invented in honor of the general or if it was a dish already known at the time that was dedicated to him.
In Il cuoco maceratese, a book of 1779, Antonio Nebbia describes the preparation of particular lasagna called "princisgrass" with a richer recipe. So, probably, the dish was already present in the culinary tradition of the Marche, and in particular of Macerata.[3]
^Amparo Machado, Chiara Prete, 1001 specialità della cucina italiana da provare almeno una volta nella vita, Newton Compton Editori, 2015. ISBN9788854186484. questa pagina.
^Corrado Barberis, Mangitalia: la storia d'Italia servita in tavola, Donzelli Editore, 2010. ISBN9788860364494. page 128.
^Mille ricette della cucina italiana. Il più grande e ricco libro illustrato dedicato alla tavola del nostro paese, Rizzoli, 2010. ISBN9788817041669. [1].
