La kitchen has always moved the Italian pride and made even the most distant minds agree, even more than the matches of the national team during a World Cup. And if we talk about traditional dishes, upset by some starred chef, in the name of innovation, the criticisms turn into "revolt" (social). This is the case of the "Smoky Tomato Carbonara"Of the chef Kay Chun, whose recipe was published in the New York Times. Predictably, this new version of the much-loved carbonara (with smoked tomato) infuriated not a few users. The prestigious US newspaper states that "the tomato is not present in the traditional carbonara, but it gives a brilliant touch to the dish". For many web users this has been like turning the knife in the sore, after "the insult immediately".
It is not the first time that theGastronomic Italy suffers such an outrage. Recently also the starred chef Gordon Ramsay posted a video with his personal carbonara recipe, receiving one rain of insults by the various Italian fans who found the dish decidedly far from the original recipe.
History of carbonara: Italian tradition with a US touch
Italians are very fond of this iconic dish from Roman cuisine, yet, according to the legend, carbonara is born a bit American. One of the most accredited stories would trace this typical dish back to Second World War, thanks to the combination of pasta, cheese, eggs and bacon arrived at Roma thanks to the rations of the American troops. In 1951 the "Spaghetti alla carbonara", in the movie "Nice waitress offering herself". The following year this dish will appear in a restaurant guide by Chicago (To Patricia Bronte). The arrival in a local magazine (The Italian kitchen) is dated 1954 and the ingredients would make the so-called "purists" of the kitchen swoon. The dish in fact did not include nor pillow, nor pecorino, but: spaghetti, egg, gruyere, bacon e garlic.
Over time the recipe has evolved to become the "classic recipe" we all know. Despite everything, there are those who still use pancetta and bacon cream, who prefers well-cooked eggs (to omelette) or even use a sauté of onion. Given the uncertain history of the origins of this dish, no one can be blamed. Of course, perhaps the addition of the tomato of the "Smoky Tomato Carbonara" is a bit excessive, but Italy has overcome bigger "tragedies", such as the pizza with pineapple, canned pasta, the lasagna sandwitch di Tesco and the recent self-proclamation of Chicago "World capital of pizza". What will be the next traditional Italian recipe that will be turned upside down? But most of all… Quousque tandem, reinterpretations of foreign cuisine, abutere patientia nostra?
