Italian Wedding Soup Actually Has Nothing To Do With Marriage

Tender, bite-sized meatballs, mildly bitter greens, and soothing broth — who doesn't enjoy a steaming bowl of Italian wedding soup? But, don't expect to see this comfort food served at weddings in Italy. Contrary to the name, the dish actually has nothing to do with marriage. So, why the misnomer? The soup gets its inspiration from the original Italian recipe, minestra maritata, which translates to "married soup" in English. 

In the old country, resourceful home cooks would prepare a pot of soup by coupling whatever ingredients they could scrounge up in the kitchen. As a traditional peasant dish, those tiny (but pricey) meatballs didn't always make the cut. It wasn't until the recipe made its way across the pond when Italian-Americans added their own spin, elevating the soup with a riff on international meatballs by making them with pork, beef, and breadcrumbs. Typically, the Americanized version of the soup also contains leafy greens, like escarole or spinach, simmered with aromatics like parsley, carrots, onion, celery, and garlic, and topped with parmesan cheese.

Minestra maritata isn't the only traditional Italian dish to get a remix in America. Millions of native Italian immigrants made their way through New York's Ellis Island during the Great Arrival in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bringing with them their love of food. From there, Little Italys sprung up across major cities of America, like The North End in Boston, Downtown San Diego, Lower Manhattan, South Philly's Italian Market, and Chicago's Taylor Street neighborhood. 

New twists from every nonna's cookbook began appearing on the red-checkered tablecloths of Italian-American eateries. The flat crust pizza of Naples transformed into Chicago's deep dish or large hand-tossed New York-style pies. Some Italian-American foods don't even come from Italy. Good luck finding chicken parmesan on your next Roman holiday. This Italian-American favorite isn't served in the bell paese, and likely evolved from the Southern Italian dish, parmigiana di melanzane AKA eggplant parmesan. 

Spaghetti and meatballs? Fuhgeddaboudit. In Italy, pasta comes as a primi piatti, or first plate. Your meat arrives after, as a secondi. And, one of America's most popular "Roman" salads doesn't even come from the home of Caesar, but was invented in Tijuana, Mexico.

So, what will you dine on if you are lucky enough to get an invitation to a wedding in Italy? Lots of food, of course. Italian culture revolves around eating, and weddings prove no exception (they even throw rice instead of confetti after the ceremony). You can expect the best quality ingredients for the wedding feast — fresh, regional, and seasonal. 

Similar to a typical meal in Italy, dishes come served in order, starting with the aperitivo, a cocktail hour of small bites paired with prosecco or light drinks, like Aperol spritz. Next comes the antipasti appetizer course of cured meats, cheeses, and bruschetta. 

Mains arrive during the sit-down reception starting with the primi of fresh pasta, risotto, ravioli, or soup. Then the secondi main course (usually meat or fish) gets served with an array of contorni, or side dishes. Save room for dessert, too! Dolci could include classic Italian desserts like coffee and tiramisu or panna cotta perfectly finished with an espresso bar. 

And what about the wedding cake? In Italy, they celebrate nuptials with a layered dessert of puff pastry and custard called millefoglie. All the while, you'll get your fill of the best Italian wines. Salute!