Cacio e pepe

Cacio e pepe
CoursePrimo (Italian pasta course)
Place of originItaly
Region or stateLazio
Main ingredientsTonnarelli or spaghetti, pecorino romano, black pepper

Cacio e pepe (Italian: [ˈkaːtʃo e pˈpeːpe]) is a pasta dish typical of the Lazio region of Italy.[1][2] Cacio e pepe means 'cheese and pepper' in several central Italian dialects. The dish contains grated pecorino romano and black pepper with tonnarelli[3] or spaghetti.[2] The origins are believed to be that shepherds from the pastoral communities of Lazio, Abruzzo, Tuscany, and Umbria created cacio e pepe in the 18th or 19th century.[4] All the ingredients keep well for a long time, which made the dish practical for shepherds without a fixed abode.

Preparation

[edit]
Spaghetti cacio e pepe

The pasta is prepared in boiling salted water as usual; it is then poured into the grated pecorino mixed with black pepper, with a little of the hot, starchy, cooking water. The heat melts the cheese, and the starches in the water help bind the pepper and cheese to the pasta.[5]

See also

[edit]

Media related to Cacio e pepe at Wikimedia Commons

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti". La Cucina Italiana. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b Boni (1930), p. 46
  3. ^ "Pasta cacio e pepe". Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  4. ^ Jenn Harris (18 August 2021). "What is cacio e pepe and how did it take over the world?". News Tribune.
  5. ^ "Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe Ricetta Originale Romana" [Spaghetti cacio e pepe – the original Roman recipe]. The Foodellers (in Italian). Retrieved 17 October 2019. There is an English translation, but it lacks important tips on getting this deceptively simple dish right. Google Translate works well.

Bibliography

[edit]