Carbonara Day

Carbonara Day is April 6th

Pasta Lovers Unite! Today is your day! Carbonara Day was first celebrated on April 6, 2017 and is a day to celebrate a dish that fully encapsulates the flavors of Italy. If you love Italian food, cooking, or just pasta in general, this holiday is for you. This dish has many variations and can be sure to please any palate. No matter what you prefer, today is a day to experiment. Maybe make your own, try some from a local restaurant, or convince your friends to have a carbonara night in which you all make different variations of this dish!

History of Carbonara

As with many dishes, the exact origin of carbonara is hard to place. Most sources agree, however, that its origin can be traced back to the region of Lazio in Italy. One of the most basic forms of this dish involves pasta with bacon, cheese, and pepper and belongs to a greater family of dishes called pasta alla gricia. This dish is also very similar to pasta cacio e uova, which is a dish with melted lard and an egg and cheese mixture. Pasta cacio e uova has been documented as early as 1839 and many believed this was the name of pre world war 2 carbonara. 

There are many different theories for the origin of the name carbonara for this dish. The name is derived from the Italian word carbonaro which is the Italian word for charcoal burner. Due to this, many believe that this dish was first made for charcoal workers as a hearty meal to enjoy after a long day. In the United States, where this dish is very popular, many have even gone as far as to call this dish “coal miner’s spaghetti”. Some also believe that the name of this dish was created as a tribute to the Carbonari. The Carbonari was a secret society that was very prominent in Italy in the 19th century. The most likely theory is that this dish is an urban dish made and quickly popularized in Rome by a restaurant of the same name. 

Before the second world war, the names pasta alla carbonara and spaghetti alla carbonara were largely unrecorded. They are even absent from chef Ada Boni, who wrote a cookbook entitled La Cucina Romana which described various Italian cuisines. The name carbonara was first used in 1950 by an Italian newspaper La Stampa. This dish was largely sought out by American officers after remaining in Italy after the war. It was described as a “Roman dish” due to many Italians eating the eggs and bacon that were supplied by United States troops. It wasn’t until 1954 that it was included in a cookbook for the first time. The first mention of this dish was not in an Italian cookbook but an English one entitled Italian Food. 

How To Celebrate Carbonara Day

The easiest way to celebrate this holiday and dish is by making it! Check out the video below for a simple recipe to help get you started.