What is "ragu"

n. An Italian pasta sauce containing meat and tomatoes.

Ragú (known as Raguletto in Oceania, Finland and South Korea) is a brand of Italian-style sauces and condiments owned by Mizkan, except in the United Kingdom and Ireland where it is owned by Symington's, a private label food manufacturer.

It is not directly related to the Italian sauce ragù, which is meat based. The Ragú brand was first sold in 1937 and is currently the best selling U.S. brand of pasta sauce. Ragú was acquired by the Lipton and Bestfoods companies before merging with the Unilever portfolio, prior to its sale to Mizkan.

The Ragú pasta sauce line consists of smooth Old World Style sauces, Chunky sauces, bold Robusto! sauces, as well as organic and light pasta sauces. While most well known for selling jar packaged pasta sauce, Ragú also has a line of pizza sauces.

In its first several decades, Ragú advertising and sales broadened the appeal of Italian-American food in the United States, with slogans like "That's Italian!" and "Ragú brings the Italian out in you!" Americanized Italian cuisine is now the most common "ethnic" cuisine served in U.S. households, followed by variations of Americanized Mexican cuisine.

Current advertising highlights the natural ingredients and "full serving of veggies" found in the sauce. Cooked tomato foods, including Ragú, are highlighted as containing the antioxidant lycopene, which is claimed to be a cancer fighting agent. As of 2015, the advertising campaign refers to the creation of Ragú by Assunta Cantisano (see below: "Etymology") with the phrase "Simmered in Tradition."

Ragu may refer to:

• Ragù, Italian term for meat-based sauce
• Ragú, Mizkan brand name for sauce products
• Ragu, a village in Uliești Commune, Dâmboviţa County, Romania
• Ragu, nom de guerre of TMVP leader Kumaraswamy Nandagopan

In Italian cuisine, ragù is a meat-based sauce that is commonly served with pasta. The Italian gastronomic society l'Accademia Italiana della Cucina documented fourteen recipes of ragù.

The recipes' common characteristics are the presence of meat and the fact that all are sauces for pasta. The most typical are ragù alla bolognese ( Bolognese sauce), ragù alla napoletana ( Neapolitan ragù), and ragù alla Barese (sometimes made with horse meat).

In northern Italy regions, ragù typically uses minced, chopped or ground meat, cooked with sauteed vegetables in a liquid. The meats may include one or more of beef, chicken, pork, duck, goose, lamb, mutton, veal, or game, including their offal. The liquids can be broth, stock, water, wine, milk, cream or tomato, often in combination. If tomatoes are included, they are typically limited relative to the meat, making it a meat stew rather than a tomato sauce with added meat.

In southern Italian regions, especially Campania, ragù is often prepared from substantial quantities of large, whole cuts of beef and pork, and sometimes regional sausages, cooked with vegetables and tomatoes. After a long braise (or simmer), the meats are removed and may be served as a separate course without pasta. Examples of these dishes are ragù alla Napoletana ( Neapolitan ragù) and carne al ragù.