To explore the origins of one of the Italian cuisine’s richest terms, we must go beyond the Alps. In fact, the term ragù derives from the French word ragôut, meaning ‘to awaken or stimulate the appetite’ (or ‘remettre en appetit’ as they say in France). More specifically, ragôut is a word that comes from the French word goût, meaning taste in English – originating from the Latin gustus.
Since the Renaissance period, the word ragoût in France has been used to refer to any recipes that involves chopping up meat, fish, or vegetables into small pieces and stewing them slowly.
The term ragoût is still used internationally today generally to indicate a meat (or fish) stew with vegetables, served as a main course or side dish with rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta. Very different from the Italian conception of the ragoût, which in the most common Bolognese version requires that the meat be finely minced and used to season fresh egg pasta, dried pasta, lasagna or casseroles.
The “Italianization” of the term ragoût has seen two phases. In the first phase, only the circumflex accent was eliminated, leaving the word as ragout – a term that has always been read (and pronounced) in Italy according to our language’s phonetics.
The simplification of the final tonic accent on ragù – to ensure its French pronunciation – is actually a more recent development, dating back to the second post-war period and to the preceding decades of the 50s and 60s (when the Italian language began to conform and spread, thanks also in part to the diffusion of TV).
Beppe Severgnini, born in 1956, wrote in his book "Italiani si diventa" (Italians become Italians) in 1998: "No one who came into the world when ragoût was still being written can claim to be young.”
From fascist ragù to English ragout
An etymological curiosity is found in the Fascist era, when during this period of extreme nationalism, the name from the French ragoût was Italianized into ragutto – a word that did not take root in our culture and was soon forgotten.
Another example of the evolution of the term is found in England, where it is still called ragout without the French-speaking accent, and indicates typical meat and vegetable stew dishes, while ragù signifies only the Italian ragout (or the Bolognese ragù, to be more precise).
In a bygone era, however, ragout was also once a written English term, as evidenced by some 18th century English recipes from the cookbook “The Compleat Housewif" – like the recipe for ‘Ragoo of Pigs-Ears.’
‘Ragout’ is for the romantics
In Italy, the term ragout is generally still used to indicate recipes for fine stews of meat, fish, or vegetables. On the other hand, more recent term of ragù is more correctly used to indicate classic Italian ragouts – like the Bolognese, Neapolitan or Sardinian varieties – which season fresh or dry pasta.
So – when we find ragout printed on the menu, that doesn’t mean it’s incorrect; they’re simply romantics!