Carbonara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Traditional spaghetti alla carbonara |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Alternate name(s) | Pasta alla carbonara |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Lazio |
| Creator(s) of the dish | Italians |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | main course |
| Serving temperature | hot |
| Main ingredient(s) | pasta guanciale eggs pecorino romano |
| Variations | With cream and vegetables |
| Other information | Popular wherever Italian food is popular |
Pasta alla carbonara (usually spaghetti, but occasionally fettuccine, rigatoni or bucatini) is an Italian pasta dish based on eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale, and black pepper. The dish was created in the middle of the 20th century.[1]
The recipes vary, though all agree that cheese (Parmesan, pecorino, or a combination), egg yolks (or whole eggs), cured fatty pork, and black pepper are basic. The pork is fried in fat (olive oil or lard); a mixture of eggs, cheese, and butter or olive oil is combined with the hot pasta, cooking the eggs; the pork is then added to the pasta.[1][2][3] Guanciale is the most traditional meat, but pancetta is also used. [4][5] In the US, it is often made with American bacon.
Cream is not used in Italian recipes, but is used in the United States[6][7], France and the United Kingdom.[8] Other Anglo/Franco variations on carbonara may include peas, broccoli or other vegetables added for color.[7] Yet another American version includes mushrooms. Many of these preparations have more sauce than the Italian versions, and resemble fettuccine alfredo.
In all versions of the recipe, the eggs are added to the sauce raw, and cook (coagulate) with the heat of the pasta itself.
[edit] Origin and history
Like most recipes, the origins of the dish are obscure, and there are many legends about it. As the name is derived from the Italian word for charcoal, some believe that the dish was first made as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers. This theory gave rise to the term "coal miner's spaghetti," which is used to refer to spaghetti alla carbonara in parts of the United States. Others say that it was originally made over charcoal grills. Still others suggest that it is so named because the specks of bacon and pepper in the pasta look like bits of charcoal. It has even been suggested that it was created by, or as a tribute to, the Carbonari ("charcoalmen"), a secret society prominent in the unification of Italy.
The dish was obscure before the Second World War, and it is not present in Ada Boni's classic book La Cucina Romana, which was published in 1927. It is thought to have originated in the hills outside Rome, not in the city itself. Its popularity began after the Second World War, when many Italians were eating eggs and bacon supplied by troops from the United States. The recipe was included in Elizabeth David's 1954 cookbook published in Great Britain.[9]. The dish became popular among American troops stationed in Italy; upon their return home, they popularized spaghetti alla carbonara in North America.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Alberini, Massimo; Giorgio Mistretta (1984). Guida all'Italia gastronomica. Touring Club Italiano. p. 286.
- ^ Gossetti Della Salda, Anna (1965). Le ricette regionali italiane. Milan: Solares.
- ^ Accademia Italiana della Cucina, Ricettario nazionale delle cucine regionali italiane
- ^ Luigi Carnacina, Luigi Veronelli, La cucina rustica regionale (2. Italia Centrale), Rizzoli, 1977 republication of La Buona Vera Cucina Italiana, 1966.
- ^ Vincenzo Buonassisi, Il Nuovo Codice della Pasta, Rizzoli, 1985.
- ^ Herbst, Sharon Tyler; Ron Herbst (2007). The New Food Lover's Companion, Fourth Edition. Educational Series. Barron's. ISBN 0-7641-3577-5.
- ^ a b Labensky, Sarah R; Alan M. House (2003). On Cooking, Third Edition: Techniques from expert chefs. Pearson Education, Inc.. ISBN 0-1304-5241-6.
- ^ Wright, Jeni (2006, 2007). Italy's 500 Best-Ever Recipes. London: Hermes House, Anness Publishing. ISBN 0-681-46033-4.
- ^ David, Elizabeth (1954). Italian Food. Great Britain: Macdonald.
[edit] External links
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Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carbonara |
- "Spaghetti Alla Carbonara" (in Italian). Recipe Collection of Italian Regional Cuisine. Accademia Italiana della Cucina. http://www.accademiaitalianacucina.it/cgi-bin/dbview.pl?ricette.txt+dbviewer.html+1157.
- "Alla Carbonara" (in English). Food Lover's Companion. Barron's Educational Series, Inc.. 2001. http://www.answers.com/topic/alla-carbonara.
