Bolognese mayor who’s boiling mad about spag bol

YOU might have thought that Bologna would be delighted to have given its name to spaghetti bolognese – one of the world’s most famous dishes.

But the city’s mayor has begun a crusade against the meal, calling it ‘fake news’ because foreigners incorrectly believe it is a staple of Italian cuisine. Spag bol is actually thought to have been concocted by early emigrants to Britain or the US.

Bologna’s mayor, Virginio Merola, 64, said: ‘What we’d prefer the world to know is that Bologna invented tagliatelle, tortellini and lasagne. Spaghetti bolognese doesn’t actually exist, yet it’s famous the world over.’

On Twitter, he posted an image of a London menu that includes the dish, writing: ‘I am collecting photos of spaghetti bolognese from around the world (speaking of fake news). Please send me yours.’

He added: ‘It is strange to be famous for a dish that isn’t ours. Of course, we are happy that it draws attention to our city, but we would prefer to be known for food that is part of our culinary tradition.’

In Bologna and across Italy spag bol – a meat and tomato sauce over pasta – is known as ragu, and is normally served with tagliatelle rather than thinner spaghetti.