Latest news with #cacioepepe
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Cacio e pepe... e burro? Recipe draws ire for adding ingredients
Jeff Gibbs, owner of Gibbs Cheese, reaches for Pecorino Romano cheese imported from Sardinia, Italy, at his shop in Findlay Market, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) U.K. website Good Food has drawn backlash for adding an ingredient to one of Italy's most notoriously bare-bones delicacies. Literally translating to 'cheese and pepper,' cacio e pepe is a pasta dish known for exactly three components: spaghetti, pecorino and black pepper. In the viral recipe, described as 'Good Food's version,' the site recommends adding 25 grams of butter -- a modification some have taken for culinary sacrilege. 'Rename the dish and post it again,' one commenter wrote below the recipe. 'This should not be allowed,' said another, in a response punctuated with a vomiting emoji. 'Dairy shortcuts' There are complaints beyond the three-ingredient rule. Good Food's recipe also recommends substituting the pecorino with parmesan cheese, which some have noted hails from a totally different region than the traditionally Roman dish. As well, the recipe calls it an "easy, speedy lunch." Though simple in its components, cacio e pepe has been described as deceptively challenging to master; the result of a nuanced chemical reaction that has inspired physicists to try their hand at cracking the code. 'Some things aren't meant to be rushed or bastardized with convenience substitutes - they're cultural traditions that deserve respect,' wrote one commenter. 'You wouldn't put ketchup on Sunday roast, so why massacre a Roman masterpiece with dairy shortcuts?' Conversely, some commenters appear to embrace the nontraditional approach, pitching their own additions, from ham (a so-called 'carbonara twist'), to a sprinkle of crushed potato chips and a 'slab of kraft cheese slice.' 'When I made it(, I) had to substitute Penne for Spaghetti and Cheddar for Parmesan,' one comment reads. 'It still worked beautifully with a little margarine.' A point of order Though the Good Food recipe appears to have lived on the website for some time, as evidenced by one incredulous commenter decrying the butter as far back as three years ago, it has seen an explosion of attention in recent days. Italian restaurant association Fiepet Confesercenti has escalated the row to a minor diplomatic dispute, reportedly penning letters to the United Kingdom's ambassador to Italy, as well as the website's owner, asking to rectify the issue. 'We protect Italian cuisine,' the association wrote, translated from the original Italian, in a post to Facebook Thursday. In the wake of the controversy, Good Food addressed its detractors, alluding to an 'international incident' in a video posted to Facebook. 'Our pasta recipe caused quite a stir!' reads the caption. "#ECaciopePepeGate." At time of this writing, the Good Food recipe maintains a score of four out of five stars, across 46 ratings.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fury over UK recipe for pasta sparks complaints to British embassy in Rome... because of two additional ingredients
A UK recipe for a popular Roman pasta dish has sparked fury in Italy after it allegedly botched the meal by adding two additional ingredients. The cacio e pepe recipe on Good Food, formerly owned by the BBC, branded the traditional pasta a 'store cupboard favourite' and advised readers they could whip it up using four simple ingredients - spaghetti, pepper, parmesan and butter. But Italians have hit back with fury. The real deal, they say, uses just three ingredients - tonnarelli pasta, black pepper, and pecorino Romano. Now, Fiepet Confesercenti, the leading trade association for Italian restauranteurs, is demanding an official correction, claiming the post misleads readers and disrespects Italian tradition. They have even raised the issue with the British Embassy in Rome in a bid to 'safeguard this iconic dish'. The blunder, which has been online for months, only recently caught the attention of furious food purists - despite a few sharp-eyed readers calling it out earlier. But a video accompanying the recipe showing a thick knob of butter melting into a pan seems to have been the final insult. Claudio Pica, head of the Rome branch of Fiepet Confesercenti, said the association was 'astonished' to see the recipe on such a popular and esteemed food site, adding that letters have been sent to Immediate Media, the site's owner, and the British ambassador to Rome, Edward Llewellyn. 'This iconic dish, traditionally from Rome and the Lazio region, has been a staple of Italian cuisine for years, so much so it has been replicated even beyond Italy's borders,' he said. 'We regret to contradict the historic and authoritative British media, but the original recipe for cacio e pepe excludes parmesan and butter. There are not four ingredients, but three: pasta, pepper and pecorino.' He admitted that while chefs might experiment from time to time, misrepresenting such a dish as the authentic original is a step too far. Unsurprisingly, Italian media has been gleefully lapping up the culinary scandal. Rome's Il Messaggero quipped: 'Paraphrasing the famous British anthem 'God save the king', Rome restaurateurs are now saying: 'God save the cacio e pepe'.' But this is not the first time foreign cooks have tampered with Italian classics and been burned. In 2021, the New York Times sparked a similar uproar with its 'smoky tomato carbonara' – a version of the traditional Roman dish that included tomatoes. Despite backlash from Coldiretti, Italy's powerful farming lobby, the recipe resurfaced again in 2023 – suggesting the US paper was unbothered by Italian disapproval. And Italians aren't shy about calling out 'crimes' against their cuisine, from chicken stirred into pasta to pineapple on pizza. The New York Times also once stirred outrage in the UKby describing the Yorkshire pudding – a Sunday roast staple – as a 'large, fluffy pancake' suitable for breakfast, lunch or dessert.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Inclusion of butter in UK recipe for cacio e pepe draws outrage from Italian media
One of the UK's most popular food websites has cooked up a storm in Italy after allegedly botching a recipe for the traditional Roman pasta dish, cacio e pepe, drawing diplomatic representations from the main trade association for Italian restaurateurs. A recipe on Good Food, formerly owned by the BBC, which continues to licence the web address – described cacio e pepe, a culinary institution in the Italian capital, as a 'store cupboard favourite' that could easily be whipped up for 'a speedy lunch' using 'four simple ingredients – spaghetti, pepper, parmesan and butter'. The notion that making cacio e pepe is easy was bad enough, but the presence of parmesan cheese and butter has been deemed a cardinal sin. Traditional cacio e pepe contains three ingredients: pasta (usually tonnarelli, a type of spaghetti), pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. Such is the fury, Fiepet Confesercenti, an association that represents restaurants in Italy, said it would demand a correction from the website in order to 'safeguard this iconic dish'. Furthermore, it has taken up the issue with the British embassy in Rome. The recipe appears to have been on the site for about three months, but despite a couple of readers calling out the butter blunder, it only now seems to have caught the attention of Fiepet Confesercenti, which was also offended by the brief preparation video that runs alongside it showing a chunk of butter being put into a pan. Claudio Pica, the president of the Rome unit for Fiepet Confesercenti, said the association was 'astonished' to see the recipe on such a popular and esteemed food site, adding that letters have been sent to Immediate Media, the site's owner, and the British ambassador to Rome, Edward Llewellyn. 'This iconic dish, traditionally from Rome and the Lazio region, has been a staple of Italian cuisine for years, so much so it has been replicated even beyond Italy's borders,' he added. 'We regret to contradict the historic and authoritative British media, but the original recipe for cacio e pepe excludes parmesan and butter. There are not four ingredients, but three: pasta, pepper and pecorino.' Pica admitted that while some chefs may dabble with the recipe, the main concern is that the website has misled readers by presenting the dish as the original. The Guardian has asked Immediate Media for comment. Italian newspapers have had a field day over the controversy, with the Rome-based Il Messaggero writing: 'Paraphrasing the famous British anthem 'God save the king', Rome restaurateurs are now saying: 'God save the cacio e pepe'.' The Guardian's 2021 recipe for the dish by the food writer Felicity Cloake comprises just pasta, pepper and pecorino. It is not the first time the foreign media has become embroiled in an Italian food row. In 2021, the New York Times published a tinkered-with recipe for another classic Roman pasta dish, carbonara, which included tomatoes. While the description of the recipe, called 'smoky tomato carbonara' and created by Kay Chun, did warn readers that it was not the original, Coldiretti, the Italian farmers' association, lashed out, saying the alteration was 'the tip of the iceberg in the falsification of traditional Italian dishes'. Given that Chun's recipe was again published in 2023, it appears the newspaper was unperturbed by the indignation. Italians often mock foreigners for their interpretation of an Italian recipe, especially pineapple on pizza or mixing pasta with chicken. The New York Times also provoked outrage in the UK in 2018 after publishing a recipe in which it described the yorkshire pudding, a roast dinner staple, as a 'large, fluffy pancake' that was excellent for 'breakfast, brunch, lunch and dessert any time of the year'.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Inclusion of butter in UK recipe for cacio e pepe draws outrage from Italian media
One of the UK's most popular food websites has cooked up a storm in Italy after allegedly botching a recipe for the traditional Roman pasta dish, cacio e pepe, drawing diplomatic representations from the main trade association for Italian restauranteurs. A recipe on Good Food, formerly owned by the BBC, which continues to licence the web address – described cacio e pepe, a culinary institution in the Italian capital, as a 'store cupboard favourite' that could easily be whipped up for 'a speedy lunch' using 'four simple ingredients – spaghetti, pepper, parmesan and butter'. The notion that making cacio e pepe is easy was bad enough, but the presence of parmesan cheese and butter has been deemed a cardinal sin. Traditional cacio e pepe contains three ingredients: pasta (usually tonnarelli, a type of spaghetti), pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper. Such is the fury, Fiepet Confesercenti, an association that represents restaurants in Italy, said it would demand a correction from the website in order to 'safeguard this iconic dish'. Furthermore, it has taken the issue up with the British embassy in Rome. The recipe appears to have been on the site for about three months, but despite a couple of readers calling out the butter blunder, it only now seems to have caught the attention of Fiepet Confesercenti, which was also offended by the brief preparation video that runs alongside it showing a chunk of butter being put into a pan. Claudio Pica, the president of the Rome unit for Fiepet Confesercenti, said the association was 'astonished' to see the recipe on such a popular and esteemed food site, adding that letters have been sent to Immediate Media, the site's owner, and the British ambassador to Rome, Edward Llewellyn. 'This iconic dish, traditionally from Rome and the Lazio region, has been a staple of Italian cuisine for years, so much so it has been replicated even beyond Italy's borders,' he added. 'We regret to contradict the historic and authoritative British media, but the original recipe for cacio e pepe excludes parmesan and butter. There are not four ingredients, but three: pasta, pepper and pecorino.' Pica admitted that while some chefs may dabble with the recipe, the main concern is that the website has misled readers by presenting the dish as the original. The Guardian has asked Immediate Media for comment. Italian newspapers have had a field day over the controversy, with the Rome-based Il Messaggero writing: 'Paraphrasing the famous British anthem 'God save the king', Rome restaurateurs are now saying: 'God save the cacio e pepe.'' The Guardian's 2021 recipe for the dish by food writer Felicity Cloake comprises just pasta, pepper and pecorino. It is not the first time the foreign media has become embroiled in an Italian food row. In 2021, the New York Times published a tinkered-with recipe for another classic Roman pasta dish, carbonara, which included tomatoes. While the description of the recipe, called 'smoky tomato carbonara' and created by Kay Chun, did warn readers that it was not the original, Coldiretti, the Italian farmers' association, lashed out, saying the alteration was 'the tip of the iceberg in the falsification of traditional Italian dishes'. Given that Chun's recipe was again published in 2023, it appears the newspaper was unperturbed by the indignation. Italians often mock foreigners for their interpretation of an Italian recipe, especially pineapple on pizza or mixing pasta with chicken. The New York Times also triggered outrage in the UK in 2018 after publishing a recipe in which it described the yorkshire pudding, a roast dinner staple, as a 'large, fluffy pancake' that was excellent for 'breakfast, brunch, lunch and dessert any time of the year'.
Globe and Mail
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Italy's Instagram-famous chef Daniela Maiorano's taste of Abruzzo
'Ciao amici, today we are doing la cacio e pepe – the queen of all the Roman dishes.' So begins Italian chef Daniela Maiorano's Instagram reel for a creamless cacio e pepe, which dropped in January and became popular thanks to her accessible walk-through for making a simple, delicious-looking pasta. But the quiet magic of her casual, flirty delivery, combined with plenty of eye contact and an impish smirk, sealed the deal to make the moment go viral. It has racked up 3.8 million views as of mid-July, and there's a good chance that if you're one of her roughly 155,000 followers, this is the video that introduced you to her no-frills, off-the-cuff video recipes. Maiorano, a fourth-generation chef, grew up working in Ristorante Clemente, an institution in her hometown of Sulmona in Abruzzo, two hours east of Rome. Before founding the restaurant in 1957, her great-grandfather had opened a cantina in town. But Clemente's early years were defined by her nonna's cooking and hard work. The family's matriarch taught Maiorano about the pleasure of food and the sacrifice required to devote oneself to a craft. Maiorano left Sulmona as a teenager and gained further experience working in restaurants in Rome, London and Berlin; formally studied photography; quit taking heroin after a decade of using the drug; and was briefly a professional boxer. She eventually moved to the surf haven of Byron Bay, Australia, where she lives with her partner, Bess. After establishing herself in the biggest cities in Europe and another continent, she now feels driven to return to her roots and bring others to Abruzzo, where she has been working on new food and wine tours while continuing to run her catering business in Byron Bay. Almost a year before her viral video, Maiorano was urged by an influencer friend to post a recipe walk-through to boost her online following in order to drum up more business. After a lot of resistance, she caved and put together a reel featuring spaghetti with anchovies, butter and a secret ingredient you'll have to watch to discover. Maiorano's natural charisma proved a big hit. She increased her Instagram following fivefold overnight. 'I never loved content creators in food on Instagram,' Maiorano says over a cappuccino in June earlier this year at a Roman bakery and café named Tulipane. Despite all the attention, she has a general lack of desire to play the content-creation game, such as posting a certain number of reels each week or seeking constant engagement. Her videos are devoid of the sleek production typical of many chronically online recipe slingers. 'It's not my style,' she says. Instead, she recognized early on that she could use her new audience for good, and has used her platform on Instagram to educate people about food. Maiorano's videos have emphasized traditional farming and production models; highlighted women chefs, farmers and producers; and revealed the maximum number of chickens per hectare that can still nab a 'free range' designation in Australia (10,000!). She also uses her social media to get the word out about her events, like the one at Tulipane a week prior where she cooked dishes such as a battered and fried primo sale – a firm, young cheese traditionally made with sheep's milk – with saffron and honey. Her latest endeavour, weeklong food and wine experiences in Abruzzo, gives her the chance to connect the way she prefers – offline, in conversation over meals or cooking, exposing others to small farms and producers who are engaging sustainably with the land where she comes from. The first trip happened this May, and she has six events already planned for next year in May, June, September and October, for a maximum of a dozen participants. 'It's like you're coming into my house,' Maiorano says. 'I show you my culture. I show you my family. It's not fancy. We go to explore artisans who have been doing this job for 10 generations.' One of the choices she emphasizes is buying seasonal products from small, local producers whenever possible. On the first of her food and wine tours, she brought participants to Claire Staroccia and Dan Gibeon's Rito Pane, a home restaurant and bakery in the tiny town of Stiffe, and to the former farm of late Abruzzese shepherd Gregorio Rotolo, now an agri-tourism destination for traditionally made cheese and meat. While the artisans will change, Maiorano plans to revisit makers based on the seasons. 'Food, for me, is the key,' Maiorano says. 'Because we need food every day, and every day we can make a choice to avoid something and support something else.' Her tour groups have also learned to make cheese from a farming couple who have fewer than 20 goats and milk them daily by hand. 'They love what they're doing,' Maiorano says. 'They bring the goats to walk in the mountains for six hours every day. Who's going to protect these people? I want to do this.' Maiorano speaks with a tinge of gravitas: She has a history of human and gay rights activism, and understands how important food quality and security is in that context. Preserving traditional and sustainable methods of food production and its agents is of primary concern for her now. 'I want to take the power to change something and change something,' Maiorano says about her online reach. 'I don't want to do what all the others are doing, just doing things for themselves. We need to work for the community. We need to become, again, united.'
