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In Rome there is a saying, 'cacio e pepe is like the Colosseum'.
From this sentence it is already clear how this dish of the Capitoline tradition is much more than a recipe. In fact, we are talking about a real institution, a monument. And as such, cacio e pepe must be made strictly in one way and in one way only.
This is exactly what we will talk about in this article, in which we will tell you how and when the recipe was born, we will reveal some succulent curiosities, we will provide you with information on how to prepare it and finally we will give you advice on where to find and enjoy it.
This is exactly what we will talk about in this article, in which we will tell you how and when the recipe was born, we will reveal some succulent curiosities, we will provide you with information on how to prepare it and finally we will give you advice on where to find and enjoy it.
Cacio e pepe: the dish that is lost in the mists of time
Perhaps not everyone knows that the dish we are talking about dates back to the time of the Romans, but of the real Romans.
In fact, we are talking about the shepherds who populated the Roman countryside.
It was their custom, when they were absent for hours during the day, to bring lunch. Typically this meal consisted, of course, of a form of cheese to which they paired spaghetti that had been dried in the sun.
All this, seasoned with a sprinkle of pepper.
Cacio e pepe in Rome has a truly historical significance.
In fact, it recalls a tradition, a story that somehow relives in its recipes, but at the same time wants to underline how much the simplicity and genuineness of the ingredients are the basis of the cuisine.
For example, if you have never tried it, you could start by tasting what you find on 'Foodaloo', the portal specializing in the products of the Italian territory selected for you.
Among the many products offered by the site you can find meats, cold cuts, but also soft drinks such as wine and beers.
Returning instead to our cheese and pepper, by clicking here you will be able to discover its characteristics and peculiarities.
Speaking of particularities, however, perhaps not everyone knows that there is a diatribe that has been going on for centuries around cacio e pepe.
In fact, we are talking about the shepherds who populated the Roman countryside.
It was their custom, when they were absent for hours during the day, to bring lunch. Typically this meal consisted, of course, of a form of cheese to which they paired spaghetti that had been dried in the sun.
All this, seasoned with a sprinkle of pepper.
Cacio e pepe in Rome has a truly historical significance.
In fact, it recalls a tradition, a story that somehow relives in its recipes, but at the same time wants to underline how much the simplicity and genuineness of the ingredients are the basis of the cuisine.
For example, if you have never tried it, you could start by tasting what you find on 'Foodaloo', the portal specializing in the products of the Italian territory selected for you.
Among the many products offered by the site you can find meats, cold cuts, but also soft drinks such as wine and beers.
Returning instead to our cheese and pepper, by clicking here you will be able to discover its characteristics and peculiarities.
Speaking of particularities, however, perhaps not everyone knows that there is a diatribe that has been going on for centuries around cacio e pepe.
How real cacio e pepe is made: the historical controversy
Spaghetti yes or spaghetti no. Better the tonnarelli or the half sleeves.
Like any true self-respecting tradition, it is impossible to talk about cacio e pepe without mentioning the controversies surrounding this dish.
Disputes that do not only concern the pasta format to be combined with.
If we want to pay attention to history, it seems that the shepherds brought spaghetti with them, even if dried. This is why the purists of the recipe do not want to hear about other types of pasta. The controversy then moves to its small extent also in the villages around the capital, and even in the neighborhoods of the Eternal City.
It seems that every town, every district and every restaurant knows the original recipe and prepares the best cacio e pepe in the world. It must be said that, if done in a workmanlike manner, in fact this dish can really give a truly unique experience on the palate.
Like any true self-respecting tradition, it is impossible to talk about cacio e pepe without mentioning the controversies surrounding this dish.
Disputes that do not only concern the pasta format to be combined with.
If we want to pay attention to history, it seems that the shepherds brought spaghetti with them, even if dried. This is why the purists of the recipe do not want to hear about other types of pasta. The controversy then moves to its small extent also in the villages around the capital, and even in the neighborhoods of the Eternal City.
It seems that every town, every district and every restaurant knows the original recipe and prepares the best cacio e pepe in the world. It must be said that, if done in a workmanlike manner, in fact this dish can really give a truly unique experience on the palate.
What you need to prepare the cacio e pepe
As we have said, the tradition of cacio e pepe dates back to the time of the shepherds who, to feed themselves, brought with them dried spaghetti to be seasoned with cacio, strictly pecorino, and pepper.
In fact, when we talk about cacio in Rome, we are talking about pecorino, and the reason goes back to the same tradition that characterizes cacio e pepe.
Let's take the famous 'carbonara' for example.
Telling a Roman to season the carbonara with Parmesan is almost equivalent to committing a sacrilege. In fact, at the time of the Roman shepherds, as is intuitive, there was no more recently introduced Parmesan, but the cheese was only that produced by sheep.
From here we understand how the first ingredient, the main one, to make cacio e pepe is pecorino, Roman of course.
On pasta, flexibility is greater, as we will see in the next paragraphs, even if spaghetti is always a must.
Speaking of pasta, the advice we give you is to try the Foodaloo products, which are characterized by a unique peculiarity.
You will have a real taster at your disposal who will try the dishes for you, advising you on the choice based on your preferences and tastes.
This is a very special novelty to test, especially as regards pasta.
Let's take our cacio e pepe: on the website you can contact the taster and let us guide you to discover this as well as other dishes.
You will also find advice on how to make this dish and discover how the products that you can choose on the site are born.
In addition to pecorino, however, there are other ingredients that cannot be missing.
One of these is the pillow, and be careful not to make another serious mistake.
If the cheese is only pecorino, the bacon should never be confused with pancetta.
Try to challenge any Roman on this, and you will not find one who will prepare the recipe for you by mistaking this ingredient.
Pecorino, bacon: as you can see, these are very caloric and nutritious foods, which were used to give energy to the shepherd during the long hours away from home.
Few ingredients but simple and genuine. To finish then with pepper, a spicy and savory condiment that added the final taste to a dish already tasty of its own.
The shepherds must have had some secret knowledge, however, because without knowing it, or perhaps precisely because they did, they opted for some of the most particular ingredients of their territory.
For example, did you know that:
- Pepper has a direct action on heat receptors. Used in dishes, it allows you to feel less of the cold that in past times afflicted the shepherds who at the first light of dawn went to the hills to graze the sheep;
- pecorino, in addition to providing a good supply of calcium useful for bones and joints, is characterized by its good conservation even for a long time. It was therefore the ideal food to take with you;
- spaghetti, with a high content of complex carbohydrates, helped the shepherds to sustain themselves from an energetic point of view without experiencing a decrease in sugar.
In short, as one would say in Rome, 'they had seen us for a long time'.
So long that the dish was also boundless, having been later adopted by fellow shepherds from neighboring regions, especially Tuscany, Umbria and Abruzzo.
Each then, as we have said, has found its own adjustment. and each region has pushed to propose a version linked to the territory.
There is no story though. The cacio e pepe is only the Roman one.
The secret of cacio e pepe is in the cream
If you want to be sure at this point that you are tasting a real cheese and pepper, you can do a simple experiment.
Let's start by telling an anecdote about it. It deals with what, poetic license, was called 'intorzamento'. We are faced with a word that means a very simple concept.
As good traders as they were, the Roman hosts tended to offer their customers a cacio e pepe which encouraged them to consume a lot of wine.
Wanting to make a modern comparison, it is the same principle for which some restaurants serve very salty dishes so that those who consume them constantly ask for a drink.
The principle was the same. The cacio e pepe of the Roman hosts was particularly dry, in fact 'twisted', and the only way to make it go down was to order wine on wine.
Today, however, the secret of cacio e pepe is another, and that is what you have to pay attention to to be sure of enjoying a good dish (like the one you find on Foodaloo).
The secret, therefore, is in the cream, or rather in the cremina, as they say in Rome.
Spaghetti aside, you can also use tonnarelli or the more delicious pasta alla chitarra.
However, the format of the half sleeves is also very popular, rigorously striped, so that they collect as much cream as possible.
Do not underestimate the egg pasta, which gives the dish a callosity, as they say in technical jargon, not indifferent.
Speaking of cremina then, you could just choose the size of the tonnarelli, even if you would find yourself in front of those who claim that in this case the pasta collects too much cream.
Ultimately, as you can see, it is difficult to get everyone to agree. Except on the cream.
It must be specified immediately: the cremina is an art, and it takes a lot of practice to make it perfectly, unless you opt for the product made for Foodaloo.
The cream is obtained with a very important step, that of creaming.
It is a question of whipping the pasta in a mixture of cooking water and pecorino cheese, that is to say, so that a cream is formed that will literally envelop the pasta itself.
The creaming must be done as a last step, sautéing the pasta in this mixture that releases all the aroma of the dish that will be tasted.
The paste itself contributes to the chemistry of the cream, because it releases the starch that thickens the cream made with water and cheese
As you can see, it is a real alchemy, to which all the ingredients contribute.
As you will understand, a long time has passed since shepherds carried dry ingredients in bags to feed themselves in the hills.
Today, however, cacio e pepe manages to combine that ancient tradition with the taste proposed by the most accredited chefs.
No more dry ingredients but a greedy creaminess.
The most important thing that you must never forget, however, is that with the creaming, if done well, the preparation is finished.
In fact, you don't have to add anything else to the recipe, much less butter or, worse, cream.
For further information you can consult the original article taken from
www.lacucinaitaliana.it.
To taste the dish instead, if you are greedy, the ideal choice is to reach the site of Foodaloo and try immediately, thanks to the assistance of the taster, this and other dishes of the gastronomic tradition of our territory.
