Before exploring why puttanesca sauce is so popular, let’s first address the elephant in the room. If you’ve taken any Italian classes in your life, you might be wondering why we’ve been talking about “prostitute pasta sauce” this entire time. Let’s make this clear: while the term “puttanesca” means “relating to a prostitute,” that doesn’t necessarily cover the origins of the sauce’s name. Some argue that it received the title because it was a popular sauce for courtesans who enjoyed the dish because it could be made quickly while on a break, or that it was so aromatic that it could attract suitors.
While this is certainly a romantic take on the classic dish, the name more likely stems from how Italians use the word “puttana,” which is used in the same way Americans say, “s–t.” Puttanesca sauce is a combination of a bunch of different puttana from the cupboard, similar to everything but the kitchen sink sauces here in the states. At its core, puttanesca is a delicious combination of different pungent ingredients from the cupboard that are thrown into a pan to whip up a tasty and mouth-watering sauce.