Italian cuisine is renowned all over the world, and pasta carbonara is one of its most popular dishes. However, when prepared outside of Italy, it often gets distorted. A recent analysis by Coldiretti found that almost 6 out of 10 Italians encounter fake versions of their cuisine while traveling abroad. This phenomenon extends to other traditional Italian dishes as well.
One example of this distortion is the use of “Romano Cheese” in the USA, which is not produced according to Italian regulations and is made from cow’s milk instead of sheep’s milk. Other variations of carbonara include the addition of ingredients like frozen peas, butter, basil, and even cream, which go against the traditional recipe.
Italian dishes like spaghetti Bolognese and pasta with meatballs are also often misrepresented outside of Italy. Pesto, another classic Italian recipe, is sometimes made with almonds, walnuts, or pistachios instead of the traditional pine nuts, and common cheese is used instead of Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano.
The lack of clarity on authentic Italian recipes creates opportunities for food counterfeiting abroad, which can cause economic and image damage to Italian exports. Despite these distortions, the traditional carbonara recipe remains a simple and delicious dish made with bacon, pecorino romano eggs pepper. To prepare authentic pasta alla carbonara bacon is cooked until transparent pecorino romano grated mixed beaten eggs pepper sautéed cooked pasta with bacon before adding creamy dressing stays true to its origins whether named after coal-like pepper or movement-like carbonari movements it still represents a beloved Italian dish no matter where it’s enjoyed around the world
