What Does Arrabbiata Mean? The Roman Sauce Explained
Posted on October 24 2026
Arrabbiata means "angry" in Italian. The name belongs to a Roman pasta sauce of tomato, garlic, chilli and olive oil, and the anger is generally understood to refer to the chilli.
That is the short answer. The longer one takes in Roman dialect, a debate about dates and a surprisingly short list of ingredients.
Where the word comes from
In everyday Italian, arrabbiato simply means angry or furious. On a menu you will usually see the feminine form, arrabbiata, as in "penne all'arrabbiata".
Roman usage gives the word a more specific culinary sense. According to the Wikipedia article on the sauce, which cites a dictionary of Romanesco dialect, the word describes a quality that has been pushed to excess. The same article says that in Rome, food cooked in a pan with plenty of oil, garlic and chilli, the kind of dish that leaves you thirsty, can be called arrabbiato. Broccoli cooked that way, for example, becomes broccoli arrabbiati.
Other writers offer a more playful explanation. One American food site suggests that cooks who used a lot of oil, garlic and chilli flakes were themselves called arrabbiato, as if they were taking their temper out on the pan. That reading is a nice story rather than a documented one, so treat it as folklore.
Where arrabbiata comes from
The sources agree on the place. Arrabbiata is a dish of Lazio, the region around Rome, and it is most closely linked with the city itself.
The date is less clear. The Wikipedia article, citing a 1975 Italian cookery reference, places the sauce in the 1950s and 1960s, a period when chilli was fashionable in Roman cooking. The honest summary is that arrabbiata is Roman, and probably a twentieth-century dish, but nobody can point to a single inventor.
The sauce also has a small place in film history. Wikipedia notes that it appears in Fellini's Roma (1972) and in Marco Ferreri's La Grande Bouffe (1973).
What goes into a classic arrabbiata
The ingredient list is short, which is part of the appeal. The version described on Wikipedia uses:
- tomatoes
- garlic
- dried chilli (peperoncino)
- parsley
- extra virgin olive oil
Grated Parmesan or pecorino romano are listed there as optional additions rather than part of the core recipe. Recipes elsewhere vary: one food site includes onion and basil, which the Wikipedia version leaves out. As with most Italian home cooking, the details shift from kitchen to kitchen.
The same food writer makes a useful point: apart from the chilli, these are essentially the ingredients of a plain tomato sauce. The chilli is what turns it into arrabbiata.
Which pasta goes with arrabbiata?
Penne is the shape most often paired with it, and "penne all'arrabbiata" is the form of the name many people know. Food writers also suggest spaghetti, pappardelle and other shapes, and the classic recipe does not insist on any one of them.
Arrabbiata and its relatives
Arrabbiata sits in a family of Roman sauces built on tomato. Amatriciana adds cured pork and pecorino; arrabbiata leaves the meat out and lets the garlic and chilli carry the dish. If you enjoy one, the other is worth trying.
At Bigoli
Our Arrabbiata is made with tomato, chilli, garlic, parsley and olive oil, close to the short list above. Parmesan is served on the side, so you can add it or leave it. If you would like something more filling, our Chicken Arrabbiata adds chicken to a tomato sauce with parsley, chilli and garlic.
We extrude our pasta on site every morning in six shapes: penne, rigatoni, spaghetti, fusilli, bigoli and fettuccine. You choose your sauce, choose your shape and add extras, and your plate is cooked to order and ready in minutes. Any sauce goes on any shape, so arrabbiata on bigoli or fusilli is just as welcome as the classic penne. Every pasta dish except Dello Chef can be made with our gluten-free penne. Some add-ons, such as meatballs, contain gluten. Not a gluten-free kitchen.
You will find us at 123 City Road, by the Old Street roundabout, about a minute's walk from Old Street station. You can eat in, take away, or order through Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
Frequently asked questions
What does arrabbiata mean in English?
It means "angry". In Roman cooking the word is used for dishes made with plenty of oil, garlic and chilli.
Is arrabbiata from Rome?
Yes. Sources link it to Lazio and especially to Rome, although when it first appeared is less clear.
What pasta is used for arrabbiata?
Penne is the usual pairing, though spaghetti and other shapes work too. At Bigoli you can have it on any of our six shapes.
Does arrabbiata have cheese?
Not in the core recipe. Parmesan or pecorino is an optional addition, and at Bigoli the Parmesan comes on the side.
Come and try it: plan your visit or see the full menu.