Spaghetti alla Carbonara

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Spaghetti alla Carbonara en Madrid ? Photo by Tamorlan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Spaghetti alla carbonara (literally "charcoal burners' spaghetti" in Italian) is an Italian pasta dish made with eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale and black pepper. It was created in the middle of the 20th century. Like most recipes, the origins of the dish are obscure but there are many legends. As 'carbonara' literally means 'coal miner's wife', some believe that the dish was first made as a hearty meal for Italian coal miners. Others say that it was originally made over charcoal grills, or that it was made with squid ink, giving it the color of coal. It has even been suggested that it was created by, or as a tribute to, the "charcoalmen", a secret society prominent in the unification of Italy. Also, the name may be from a Roman restaurant named Carbonara. Recipes vary, though all agree that pecorino romano, eggs, cured fatty pork, and black pepper are the basics. The pork is fried in fat (olive oil or lard). Then, a mixture of eggs, cheese and olive oil is combined with the hot pasta, thereby cooking the eggs. All of the ingredients are then mixed together.Accademia Italiana della Cucina, Ricettario nazionale delle cucine regionali italiane Guanciale is the most traditional cured pork cut for this recipe, but pancetta is a popular substitute.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. In the US, it is often made with American bacon. Cream is not common in traditional Italian recipes, but is common in carbonara recipes from other countries such as the United States, url=http://www.answers.com/topic/alla-carbonara title=alla Carbonara date=2007 France, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Russia (especially Moscow). Italian Chef Luigi Carnacina, however, used cream in his recipe.Carnacina, Luigi; Vincenzo Buonassisi (1975). Roma in Cucina. Milan: Giunti Martello. p. 91. Other Anglo/Franco variations on carbonara may include peas, broccoli or other vegetables added for colour. Yet another American version includes mushrooms. Many of these preparations have more sauce than the Italian versions. In all versions of the recipe, raw eggs are added to the sauce and cook with the heat of the pasta.

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