Italians are incredibly meticulous about pasta, a traditional dish, with precise rules and customs governing everything from cooking time to sauce ratios and even the specific combinations of different noodle shapes. However, a recipe for a “traditional Roman dish” recently published on the British food website Good Food has completely irked Italians.
The recipe describes cacio e pepe as a “quick lunch” dish, saying it requires just four simple ingredients: pasta, black pepper, Parmesan cheese and cream.
However, the Italian catering industry association Fiepet Confesercenti hit back, saying the recipe’s ingredients were completely unconventional and distorting the core of the dish. The association pointed out that “cacciatore” is made with three ingredients: black pepper, pecorino cheese, and pasta.
In response, Good Food said in a statement that relevant personnel have contacted Fiepet Confesercenti and explained that the recipe design concept is to allow British families to make it with locally available ingredients. At the same time, they invited the other party to provide an authentic Italian version of the recipe, “We are happy to upload it and indicate the source.”
In fact, Italians have always been open and humorous about foreign interpretations of their cuisine, but the point of controversy this time is that Good Food misled readers by incorrectly labeling the modified version as an authentic traditional dish.
Dining and Cooking