Is that authentic?

[GotGarlic]

An Italian friend of mine posted this on Facebook today.

 

[taxlady]

I think it's an oversimplification. The name "carbonara" was probably first used after WWII, but there are dishes going much further back that are very similar. I heard about that not so long ago. It may have been in a YouTube video of an Italian chef making spaghetti carbonara. There was mention of the fact that "carbonaro" means a charcoal worker and that's where name comes from.

There is interesting info, especially in the "Origin and history" section of the article on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonara

 

[Just Cooking]

"Authentic", as used in the DC forum, has long been one of my favorite words.

Interestingly enough, I was messaging with another member and it was brought up that some have left this forum because of that word.

Ross

 

[Andy M.]

Wow! That guy really has a bug up his butt. Just a little anti-American.

I've heard several origin stories for this dish. Some assign a recent arrival at the time of WWII, others refer farther back.

Whatever the origin, I have never seen a recipe or video that offered anything other than guanciale as the most preferred (or most authentic if you dare) meat. Pancetta is sometimes offered as an alternative if you must. Bacon is never/seldom mentioned. That said, I use bacon because I like the hickory smoke flavor it adds to the dish.

Also, I use a combination of Romano and Parm Reg. I believe Romano would be more authentic as this dish is attached to Rome and southern Italy where Romano rules. Parm Reg is a northern cheese.

All that aside, make it the way you want.

My authenticity related gripe is Alfredo. It appears that any sauce that's white in color can be called Alfredo. Any number of ingredients in different versions when all you should use is butter and cheese (and a little pasta water).

 

[taxlady]

Andy, I didn't see the anti-American part. The part with the Americans mentions that they had fantastic bacon, cream, ...

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I agree, taxy. It seems to me that he is telling people that if they think a dish cooked a certain way is "authentic", just search back a little more in time and you're likely to find an earlier iteration of that same dish. And it seems like he attributes the earliest Carbonara to...Chicago. Or I could be interpreting it wrong.

"Authentic", as used in the DC forum, has long been one of my favorite words.

Interestingly enough, I was messaging with another member and it was brought up that some have left this forum because of that word.

Ross

Yes, you must adhere to the recipe exactly or it isn't authentic. Such a quandary: do I follow the recipe exactly, or do I change one or two small amounts of seasonings I don't like in order to make it taste like something I want to eat. Decisions, decisions...not!

 

[GotGarlic]

I think it's an oversimplification.

You think what's an oversimplification?

The name "carbonara" was probably first used after WWII, but there are dishes going much further back that are very similar. I heard about that not so long ago. It may have been in a YouTube video of an Italian chef making spaghetti carbonara. There was mention of the fact that "carbonaro" means a charcoal worker and that's where name comes from.

There are a lot of theories about where the name came from. One of my favorite food history sites for over 20 years is Food Timeline, created by a librarian in her spare time. This is the entry for pasta alla carbonara: https://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq2.html#carbonara

There is interesting info, especially in the "Origin and history" section of the article on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonara

A lot of that is similar to what's on the Food Timeline site.

 

[GotGarlic]

"Authentic", as used in the DC forum, has long been one of my favorite words. [emoji2]



Interestingly enough, I was messaging with another member and it was brought up that some have left this forum because of that word.



Ross

Heh, I know I've been guilty of being a bit pedantic about it. The more I've learned about food history, the less picky I have become.

 

[GotGarlic]

Wow! That guy really has a bug up his butt. Just a little anti-American.



I've heard several origin stories for this dish. Some assign a recent arrival at the time of WWII, others refer farther back.



Whatever the origin, I have never seen a recipe or video that offered anything other than guanciale as the most preferred (or most authentic if you dare) meat. Pancetta is sometimes offered as an alternative if you must. Bacon is never/seldom mentioned. That said, I use bacon because I like the hickory smoke flavor it adds to the dish.



Also, I use a combination of Romano and Parm Reg. I believe Romano would be more authentic as this dish is attached to Rome and southern Italy where Romano rules. Parm Reg is a northern cheese.



All that aside, make it the way you want.



My authenticity related gripe is Alfredo. It appears that any sauce that's white in color can be called Alfredo. Any number of ingredients in different versions when all you should use is butter and cheese (and a little pasta water).

I didn't see it as anti-American, either. I think he's chiding his fellow Italians for "traditionalizing" something that's really pretty recent.

Want to know what Nathan Myrrvold thinks about the origin of pizza Napolitano?