Penne Vodka History: Is it from Italy or America?

Originally posted September 29, 2020

Penne Vodka History. Italian or American?

Penne alla Vodka is a common menu item in Italian-American restaurants. In fact, it is the second most popular pasta in America after Penne alla Bolognese. And like many of the world’s most popular dishes, there are varying origin stories claiming to have invented the recipe. Learn all about the Penne Vodka history:

The History and Stories of Penne alla Vodka

Penne alla Vodka is basically tomato sauce enhanced with cream and vodka. Today, the dish is most known in America than in Italy. However, its history is widely disputed among Italian and New York City chefs as to which country actually invented it.

New York City, USA

In the 1980s, two individuals in New York City claim ownership in inventing the recipe. The first is a Columbia University graduate student, James Doty, who was said to have made the first plate of pasta.

The second claim comes from Chef Luigi Franzese of Orsini Restaurant. The chef called his dish Penne alla Russa because he used a flask of vodka to help thin the sauce.

Bologna & Rome, Italy

Over in Italy, the dish was perhaps introduced in the 1970s or 1980s. Dante restaurant in Bologna proudly says their chef invented the dish. Down south, a Roman chef claims that he created the dish from a request of a vodka company as a way to popularize vodka to Italians.

Food historians name all these origins as the histories of penne alla vodka. What is a fact, however, is that the dish was popular in the early 80s in Italy before its popularity in the US. And today, you will rarely see penne alla vodka on menus in Italy; whereas you will see it practically everywhere on menus in Italian-American restaurants.