Flavors · Bologna

Tagliatelle al ragù

Fresh egg pasta ribbons served with ragù, a slow-cooked meat sauce with tomato. The width of the tagliatella and the ragù recipe are registered with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce.

Traditional dish from Bologna, Emília-Romanha

Also known as: tagliatelle alla bolognese, tagliatelle col ragù

Updated November 2026

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Tagliatelle al ragù — Bologna, Italy — Tagliatelle al ragù

Tagliatelle al ragù — Bologna, Italy

Tagliatelle are made with flour and eggs, rolled out with a pin until the dough is thin and cut into ribbons. Ragù is a sauce of ground beef and pork sautéed with onion, carrot and celery, and cooked for hours with a little wine, tomato and milk. The porous pasta holds the sauce well. In Bologna, the combination is tagliatelle or lasagna, not spaghetti: the “spaghetti Bolognese” known in other countries is not part of the local tradition.

On April 16, 1972, the Accademia Italiana della Cucina lodged the official measurement of the tagliatella with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce: eight millimeters in width after cooking. A gold replica is kept at the institution’s headquarters, the Palazzo della Mercanzia.

On October 17, 1982, it was the ragù recipe’s turn. On April 20, 2023, the Accademia submitted a revised version, adapted to today’s ingredients and habits, which sparked debate among Bolognese people. The Chamber of Commerce preserves dozens of recipes from the city’s food culture, all the result of that collaboration.

In Bologna homes, ragù is a Sunday preparation and tagliatelle are still hand-rolled in many families.

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Where it comes from

Bologna , Emília-Romanha
The tagliatella measurement and the ragù recipe are deposited with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.

Ingredients

Flour and eggs in the pasta; beef and pork, onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste or purée, wine, milk, olive oil or butter, salt and pepper in the ragù. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano on top.

How it is eaten

As a first course, with the ragù already mixed into the pasta and cheese grated at the table.

When it is eaten

All year; ragù is a traditional preparation for Sunday lunches.

Your questions

Questions about Tagliatelle al ragù

Is there spaghetti Bolognese in Bologna?

In local tradition, ragù accompanies tagliatelle or lasagna. Spaghetti with meat sauce is a creation popularized outside the city.

What is the official width of the Bologna tagliatella?

Eight millimeters after cooking, according to the measurement lodged in 1972 with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce.

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