Carbonara is a recent addition among the pantheon of Roman pasta.

But a creamy authentic carbonara recipe, sprinkled with pecorino cheese topped with crunchy guanciale bacon, remains a firm foodie favourite for locals and visitors alike.

There are several theories as to where carbonara originated, with some saying it’s not Roman at all.

But the most widely accepted story is that carbonara was invented by accident during the Second World War, when American and British forces converged in Rome in 1944.

Both sets of troops were hungry and fatigued, so they whipped up a quick pasta dish using two ingredients both nations loved: bacon and eggs. 

What is traditional carbonara made of?

Traditionally, carbonara is made with guanciale (pork cheek), pecorino cheese, and raw egg yolk. 

The fat from the pork cheek, strong cheese, and rich egg yolk combine to make a rich glossy sauce that perfectly coats your spaghetti, fettuccine, or rigatoni pasta.

The carbonara we are most familiar with uses cream instead of egg.

But to make an authentic carbonara recipe you need to use egg yolks.

Don’t add the whites though! Otherwise you’ll end up with cheesy scrambled eggs. And nobody wants that!

Our 15-minute Carbonara Recipe

This recipe uses traditional Italian ingredients.

We know that it can be hard to get the specific regional ingredients so we have suggested more available alternatives.

• Time: 15 minutes
• Serves: 2 people
• Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 400g pasta (fettuccine, rigatoni, spaghetti)
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsps pecorino cheese
• Guanciale (amount according to preference)
• Black pepper (to taste)

Method

1) Chop the guanciale (pork cheek) into small strips or cubes and fry until dark and crunchy. Crack open two eggs and add the yolk to a mixing bowl. IMPORTANT: do not add the egg whites! Add two heaped spoonfuls of pecorino cheese and a generous sprinkle of ground black pepper and stir.

2) Remove the guanciale from the frying pan and add it to a separate dish. Pour the remaining fat from the frying pan into your mixture of yolk, cheese, and pepper. Boil the pasta water in the meantime, adding a pinch of salt for taste.

3) Drop the pasta into the boiling water. While it is cooking, add a couple of spoonfuls of pasta water to the mixing bowl to give your mixture a slightly less viscous consistency. When the pasta is cooked (al dente), remove it from the bowl either with a pasta fork or colander and add it to the mixing bowl containing the carbonara sauce.

4) Stir vigorously to make sure all the ingredients are combined. Plate up your pasta, add another spoonful of pecorino cheese, and add the guanciale on top. Sprinkle over a little more pepper and you’re ready to serve the best carbonara you’ve ever tasted.

Our Favourite Carbonara in Rome

We’ve seen tourists aghast at the carbonara dishes they’ve been served, with people enquiring about the absence of cream, peas, or even chicken!

That’s not to say that these kinds of carbonara are wrong. Some people will even prefer them, as they’re infused with flavours even the greatest chefs can’t reproduce: homeliness, familiarity, and personal preference.

But tasty though they may be, these carbonara dishes are not authentic.

If you’re visiting Rome and want to try an excellent traditional carbonara in Rome, here are our top suggestions:

• Flavio al Velavevodetto in Testaccio
• Dal Cavalier Gino in the historic center
• Da Enzo al 29 in Trastevere
• Da Danilo in the Esquilino area.

Feeling Hungry?

Or if you’re looking for a real taste of Rome that avoids the tourist traps, make sure you don’t miss our Trastevere Food Tour!