Spaghetti alla carbonara is one of the world’s best-loved pasta dishes, winning hearts and minds with its raw beaten egg-based sauce, crispy pork cheek cubes and a liberal sprinkling of pecorino cheese. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself: what does carbonara mean?
Some pasta recipes are named after their place of origin. Think ragú alla bolognese (which hails from the city of Bologna) or fettuccine all’amatriciana (which comes from Amatrice). Others simply describe their main ingredients, like Roman cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper), which has seen a recent surge in popularity to become the US’ pasta of choice.
But carbonara is slightly different. Its name refers neither to its city of origin nor to the ingredients it’s made from. Carbonara has its own story, and its meaning might surprise you.
Mining for Meaning
According to food historian Francine Segan, the word carbonara comes from the Italian carbonaro (coal burner) as it was the men of this profession who invented the recipe as a quick, hearty meal that would sustain them for lengthy, laborious work.
This theory, which is rather complicatedly called the Appenine Hypothesis, suggests that carbonara was an evolution of another type of pasta called cacio e uova (cheese and egg). Both recipes used ingredients that were easy to find and easy to store. This was essential given that making charcoal required staying with it and monitoring it for long periods of time, and so these men needed provisions to hand.
Bringing Home the Bacon (and Eggs)
Another theory behind the meaning of carbonara suggests that it originated during the Allied occupation of Italy during the Second World War.
The story goes that a local Italian restaurant, hoping to appease US servicemen who were missing bacon and eggs back home, made the most of the closest available ingredients—guanciale (pork cheek) pecorino cheese, eggs and, of course, pasta.
(We are in Italy after all).
Something that supports this theory is that carbonara does not feature in Ada Boni’s classic cookbook La cucina romana (Roman Cuisine), which was published in 1930, nine years before the war broke out.
Learn to Cook Carbonara in the City that Invented It
Stop putting cream in your carbonara. If you’re visiting Rome, join our Pasta & Tiramisù Cooking Class for prosecco-fuelled pasta perfection.
Under the guidance of our expert chef, you and a small group of fun international foodies will learn to master the pasta and perfect the art of making creamy, dreamy tiramisù.
Still in two minds about joining our pasta and tiramisù class? Check out these taste—monials ?
