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Spaghetti carbonara – original recipe from Italy
In this recipe, we show you how to make perfect spaghetti carbonara. Incidentally, not just any bacon is used in the original recipe from Roma. Traditionally, it has to be guanciale from the pork cheeks and not pancetta from the pancetta!
- 400 g Spaghetti made from durum wheat
- 150 g Guanciale
- 100 g Pecorino romano
- 2 Eggs
- Salt
- Pepper
Schritt für Schritt durch´s Rezept
- Step 1Cut the bacon into small cubes and fry in a large pan until the bacon is nice and crispy.
- Step 2Grate the pecorino.
- Step 3Beat the eggs in a large bowl, mix with the cheese and the melted guanciale. Season the mixture with coarse, freshly ground pepper.
- Step 4Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water according to the packet instructions.
- Step 5Drain the pasta and add to the bowl immediately while hot. Mix everything well and serve.
Although tomatoes are probably the most typical Italian ingredient, there are some tasty pasta sauces that do not contain tomatoes at all. Spaghetti alla carbonara is one of these recipes. The Italian capital Rome and the surrounding region of Lazio are particularly famous for this spaghetti dish.
The history of carbonara
Spaghetti, bacon, beaten eggs and cheese: this is the classic carbonara. Opinions differ on the origins of the dish. Does spaghetti come from the Apennines, from Naples or is it even an invention of American soldiers?
Carbonara – An American invention
The very first time spaghetti carbonara appears in sources is towards the end of the Second World War. There was a food shortage in Rome at the time. The American soldiers received food rations with bacon and eggs.
According to this theory, these ingredients then took on a life of their own in Roman cuisine. The Romans are famous for their passion for pasta and so one thing led to another: spaghetti with eggs and bacon.
Carbonara – an invention of the charcoal burners
According to this theory, the dish comes from the charcoal burners of the Apennines, north of Rome. Carbonari is the Roman dialect word for charcoal burners. The Carbonari were quite poor and used pasta and lots of bacon in their cooking. After all, bacon was durable and much cheaper than oil.
Carbonara – An invention of Naples
A final hypothesis places the origin of the recipe in Neapolitan cuisine. Here, some pasta dishes are traditionally refined and seasoned with egg, cheese and pepper after cooking.
A recipe with many variations
Together with traditional Ragù Bolognese and Pasta Napoli, which is completely unknown in Italy, Spaghetti Carbonara is one of the most popular recipes from Bella Italia. You’ve probably already had this dish served with cream sauce. For a true Italian, cream in carbonara is actually a nogo.
Onions, cooked ham, Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese also have no place in the sauce. The original ingredients are: Durum wheat spaghetti, Guanciale bacon, eggs, Pecorino Romano, salt and pepper. The bacon is fried in a pan, the eggs are beaten with the grated cheese and seasoned. Then mix everything with the hot spaghetti. E basta!
If you are looking for a variation with garlic, you can try this recipe from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
Make your own carbonara – step by step
Buon appetito!
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