Comments on: La scarpetta: a ritual for Italians

By: Emidio Fabiani

Emidio Fabiani — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 17:09:02 +0000

Thanks for the article. Brings back memories of nonna dipping into her gravy and offering it to kids in the kitchen. It was a very acceptable practice in the kitchen, and to insure your plate was void of any gravy at the dinner table.

By: Masucci

Masucci — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 21:06:47 +0000

We Italians have done this all are lives. I, for one, had no idea there was an actual name for it until my wife and I met two young Italian girls in Spain. During our conversation with them (somehow) the topic of doing this came up and they told us “Oh Scarpetta”. We looked at them and had no idea what they were talking about. They then looked at us and had to explain this to us. Since that time in 2012 my wife and I still laugh about it and every time we “Scarpetta” at home or in a restaurant we laugh and think about these two young girls. Thanks so much for posting this. It has brought a smile to my face.

By: Katty

Katty — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 16:59:07 +0000

In reply to Rocky Simoni.

Thank you for sharing these nice memories Rocky Simoni, I like the cake and ice cream 🙂 Life was very difficult in the past, we complain today but it was much harder when our parents were young, and they enjoyed life with the simple things they had.

By: Rocky Simoni

Rocky Simoni — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 12:48:24 +0000

As a child I was taught this tradition of dipping bread into the sauce by my mother, as I got older and could reach into the pot on my own, I still have scars on my knuckles from the wooden spoon my mother would use to stop me from eating all the bread. Same thing while eating at the table, we used bread and cleaned our plates, after the meal was done, and my plate was clean, she would ask if I wanted desert, usually that consisted of a slice of bread with a thick layer of butter, she called it cake and ice cream. Even after my parents passed, I passed these traditions on to my daughter, she too dips bread in the sauce, sops up the remnants on our plates with a slice of bread, I made up a saying calling it the clean plate club and at 32 she still continues to say that at the end of a meal. Traditions live on!!!

By: Larry Morea

Larry Morea — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 23:48:06 +0000

As a first generation Italian I have wonderful memories of breaking off a piece of Italian bread never cutting the bread with a knife and dunking in my mothers sauce pot, its was commonly known a a gravy sandwich

By: Don

Don — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 23:31:26 +0000

We did it every Sunday after church, we could not wait , her homemade bread cruchey enough to drive a nail and as soft as cotton inside. Thanks for the memories. I miss that, all the family would be there and Gram gave us ONE meatball to share

By: Dolores

Dolores — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 14:15:45 +0000

my brother Tony God rest his soul every time I was cooking sauce he would sneak into the kitchen and be dipping bread in my sauce and stealing a meatball and I would holler at him ..God I miss that

By: Marie DeMasi

Marie DeMasi — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 05:39:03 +0000

I love TRADITIONS… it warms my heart to read these comments. It brings me back to happy and loving memories when all my cousins, aunts and uncles would meet at grandma’s house for the holidays. All we did was eat, drink, laugh, play games and cards and tell stories… Oh what great times we had! Such treasured memories!! Thank you… La Familia

By: Frank J Perruccio

Frank J Perruccio — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 10:28:51 +0000

I do it all the time. I just did it last night with the juice from my steak.

By: Jean DeMuro

Jean DeMuro — Sat, 12 Oct 2019 14:44:57 +0000

I find this so interesting. My husband is Italian and I am sure he didnt know how this tradition started or the compliment it is to the person who prepared the meal. He is third generation in this country. Some traditions get lost in time. We will certainly pass this tradition meaning to our kids

By: John

John — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 23:46:09 +0000

My grandfather did this growing up and I did as well. My grandmother would always be so mad saying my grandfather was in the kitchen eating to much bread.

By: Rose

Rose — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 13:04:40 +0000

I au paired in Roma for a year and the mom there told me it was bad manners and uncouth when I did it (although the dad would do it when his wife wasn’t looking.) I always thought it was a waist of good sauce.

By: Christopher layton

Christopher layton — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 15:08:21 +0000

Thank you all for your inputs as I’ve learned and enjoyed. I’m a Dutch & Polish male with a Hugh love for Italian everything ( food, women, cloths, cars ). I’ve been scarpetta-ing my plates for 59 years and I’m 59 now. Lol. Hope the world finds this tradition a true compliment to the culinary arts & industry. “Las Vegas”

By: Mark McCleskey

Mark McCleskey — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 03:37:18 +0000

In Texas we call it ‘waddling your dodger in your sop’.

By: Carol

Carol — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 18:56:14 +0000

We Kids of Italian descent always cleaned our plate with the bread…. but nit knowing it had a formal name …..La Scarpetta… and if we came home and the sauce was on the stove simmering… we grabbed bread and dipped it into the sauce….. just an Italian ritual….. still do it!!!!!’

By: Joe W Gugliemi

Joe W Gugliemi — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 18:29:20 +0000

Having lived in Italy in Emiglia where my grandparents are from, it's almost ritualistic. CUCINA POVERO! IL migliore! Just enjoy. Black affair is different set of rules..in any culture.

By: Juanita Ruf

Juanita Ruf — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 12:30:12 +0000

my grandfather, born in 1882, would poor karo syrup on the food remaining on his plate and would sop everything up with a slice or more of bread. He was from the country outside of St Louis Missouri and his ancestors came from England.

By: Kat Crane

Kat Crane — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 07:17:56 +0000

Although not Italian, my “American” (English/French/German) family has the same tradition of wiping up sauces or gravy with bread…we always called it “soppy”. Best part of the meal! (To the point we would take a second helping of sauce, just so we could soak it up with bread!)