The Mezzanine

So what do you call the stuff you use as a base for making spaghetti sauce etc?

According the italian chef (?) "the origins of marinara sauce are that it is the sauce that they made in Naples for the sailors when they returned from the sea. "
http://www.italianchef.com/marinara.html

And there is def a diff btween tomato sauce, paste and puree.

Tomato paste, or tomato concentrate, consists of tomatoes that have been cooked for several hours, strained and reduced to a thick, rich concentrate. It is generally fairly sweet.

Tomato puree consists of tomatoes that have been cooked briefly and strained, resulting in a thick liquid.

Tomato sauce is a somewhat thinner tomato puree, and may include seasonings and other flavorings so that it is ready to be used in other dishes or as a base for other sauces

I use tomato sauce all the time, puree for chili, and paste only when a recipe calls for it.

And here is a post about marinara in australia
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1443960