No butter, no joke: Italians demand British embassy step in after pasta recipe backlash
Imagine the British Embassy receiving an urgent letter - not about trade or diplomacy, but about butter in pasta.
Who knew that a rogue knob of butter could spark a near-diplomatic crisis?
Italian restaurateurs have protested in what they see as a high-culinary betrayal, and yes, the British Embassy may now be fielding more pasta complaints than trade inquiries.
When the UK food website 'Good Food' (formerly BBC Good Food) called Roman cacio e pepe 'a speedy lunch' made with four ingredients, including butter and Parmesan, Italians were outraged.
Purists pointed out that the authentic Roman dish has just three staples: pasta (often tonnarelli), black pepper, and pecorino Romano - no more, no less.
Claudio Pica, president of Fiepet-Confesercenti in Rome and Lazio, formally lodged a protest - writing both to the media company Immediate Media, which publishes Good Food and the British ambassador in Rome for what he called an 'absurd mystification' of culinary tradition.
Italian media had a field day. One newspaper, riffing on Britain's national anthem, quipped, 'God save the cacio e pepe'
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No butter, no joke: Italians demand British embassy step in after pasta recipe backlash
Fiepet Confesercenti, the leading trade association for Italian restauranteurs, is demanding an official correction, claiming the British version disrespects Italian tradition. Imagine the British Embassy receiving an urgent letter - not about trade or diplomacy, but about butter in pasta. Who knew that a rogue knob of butter could spark a near-diplomatic crisis? Italian restaurateurs have protested in what they see as a high-culinary betrayal, and yes, the British Embassy may now be fielding more pasta complaints than trade inquiries. When the UK food website 'Good Food' (formerly BBC Good Food) called Roman cacio e pepe 'a speedy lunch' made with four ingredients, including butter and Parmesan, Italians were outraged. Purists pointed out that the authentic Roman dish has just three staples: pasta (often tonnarelli), black pepper, and pecorino Romano - no more, no less. Claudio Pica, president of Fiepet-Confesercenti in Rome and Lazio, formally lodged a protest - writing both to the media company Immediate Media, which publishes Good Food and the British ambassador in Rome for what he called an 'absurd mystification' of culinary tradition. Italian media had a field day. One newspaper, riffing on Britain's national anthem, quipped, 'God save the cacio e pepe'
