Living in Italy, I have eaten a lot of delicious sauces. My favorite (perhaps because my Italian husband is so fantastic at making it) is ragù, a hearty, meaty tomato sauce that can be used to make anything from pasta to arancini, a deep-fried Sicilian street food. But even knowing ragù like I do, I can see how many people can get confused: What is the difference between the hearty, meaty ragù and the hearty, meaty, and also very popular Bolognese sauce?

If you think these sauces are very similar, you are right. Bolognese sauce is actually a form of ragù, meaning that they both start from the same basic recipe. In fact, Bolognese's official name is ragù alla bolognese or, in English, Bologna-style ragù.