Contentious Carbonara
Arguably one of the greatest modern day classics of Italian cooking – silkier than a puttana’s purse and as sharp as her tongue. A well made Carbonara is a sensuously creamy and lip-lickingly delicious foursome of cheek, curd and peppered yolk. However, as with all great Italian dishes, it comes with issues.
Was it a favourite of ancient Roman Carbonai? Or, perhaps, Italian style bacon and eggs created for cigar-sucking Generals and their homesick GI’s? There is actually no mention of Carbonara to be found anywhere prior a La Stampa article referencing it in 1950.
It may have been inspired by a Neapolitan dish ‘Pasta Cacio e Uova’, which appeared in a 1839 cookbook by Ippolito Cavalcanti, made with beaten raw eggs, molten lard and cheese. One thing is for sure, it’s a dish with a history that’s as contentious and curious as its construction and creation.
Spectacularly easy to make and even easier to screw up. The ultra-fine line separating soul-massaging perfection from a ‘FFS’ scrambled egg disaster can be seamlessly breached by nothing more than a poorly timed lovers kiss, or a spontaneously snatched slurp from the vine. We’ve all been there – it’s a rite of passage.
Is Pancetta okay instead of Guanciale (don’t even mention bacon!)? Parmigiano or Grana instead of Pecorino? Whole eggs or just the yolks?
And then the method: You could blend the cheese and eggs separately in a bowl and temper the eggs with a splash of pasta water before combining with the pasta. Or just do it all in the pan, which is my preferred method. Do you allow the pasta to finish in the Guanciale juices for a minute or two before adding the mixture? Perhaps you add the pasta to the mixture in the bowl? So many contentious paths to the same orgasmic destination.
The Carbonara Challenge
I have a theory that it’s possible to accurately gauge the quality and authenticity of any Italian restaurant, based solely of its ability to create a genuine Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. I’ve used the broadly accepted set of ingredients as a benchmark and applied a points system to each item.
The Authentic Carbonara
- Spaghetti
- Guanciale
- Egg Yolks
- Pecorino Romano
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Pasta
- Spaghetti - (10)
- Linguine, Bigoli, etc - (8)
- Penne, Trofie, etc - (6)
- Any Other Pasta - (1)
Eggs
- Egg Yolk - (10)
- Whole Egg - (7)
- Both - (8)
- No Egg - (-5)
Meat
- Guanciale - (15)
- Pancetta - (13)
- Bacon - (2)
- Anything Else - (-5)
No-No's
- Cream (-10)
- Garlic (-5)
- Wine (-5)
- Anything Else (-3)
Cheese
- Pecorino Romano - (15)
- Parmigiano Reggiano - (13)
- Grana Padano - (13)
- Any Other Cheese - (1)
Calculate Score
- Easy - just add up the points
- Deduct (3) for no Pepper
- Olive Oil is forgivable
- Double the result.
The Contenders
The So-Called Masters
A score of 86 or above will get into the Green Zone. This represents a Carbonara which, although not 100% authentic, would be perfectly acceptable. To scrape in with an 86, the Carbonara would consist of; Spaghetti, Pancetta, Parmigiano or Grana Padano and whole egg.