cacio e pepe
{{Short description|Italian pasta dish}}
{{Italics title}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Cacio e pepe
| image = Cacio e pepe.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption =
| alternate_name =
| country = Italy
| region = Lazio
| creator =
| course = {{lang|it|Primo}} (Italian course)
| type =
| served =
| main_ingredient = {{lang|it|Tonnarelli}} or spaghetti, {{lang|it|pecorino romano}}, black pepper
| variations =
}}
{{lang|it|Cacio e pepe}} ({{IPA|it|ˈkaːtʃo e pˈpeːpe|lang}}) is a pasta dish typical of the Lazio region of Italy.{{cite web
|url=https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/recipe/pasta/spaghetti-cacio-e-pepe
|title=Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti
|date=5 July 2021
|publisher=La Cucina Italiana
|access-date=18 June 2024}}Boni (1930), p. 46 {{lang|it|Cacio e pepe}} means 'cheese and pepper' in several central Italian dialects. The dish contains grated {{lang|it|pecorino romano}} and black pepper with {{lang|it|tonnarelli}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.buttalapasta.it/articolo/ricetta-pasta-cacio-e-pepe/31947/|access-date=3 May 2018|title=Pasta cacio e pepe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324092211/http://www.buttalapasta.it/articolo/ricetta-pasta-cacio-e-pepe/31947/|archive-date=24 March 2018|url-status=dead}} or spaghetti. A common story is that shepherds from the pastoral communities of Lazio, Abruzzo, Tuscany, and Umbria created {{lang|it|cacio e pepe}} in the 18th or 19th century. It is likely that black pepper was added to the dish much later, as it was expensive and not readily available to shepherds at the time.{{cite web |author=Jenn Harris |title=What is cacio e pepe and how did it take over the world? |url=https://www.newstribune.com/news/2021/aug/18/What-is-cacio-e-pepe-and-how-did-it-take-over-the-/ |website=News Tribune|date=18 August 2021 }} Achieving a smooth and creamy texture during preparation is difficult, as the cheese is prone to becoming lumpy.
Preparation
File:Spaghetti cacio e pepe (creamy as it should be).jpg
The pasta is prepared in boiling salted water as usual; it is then poured into the grated pecorino mixed with black pepper, with a little of the hot, starchy, cooking water. The heat melts the cheese, and the starches in the water help bind the pepper and cheese to the pasta.{{cite web |url=https://thefoodellers.com/it/spaghetti-cacio-e-pepe-la-ricetta-originale-vera-e-tradizionale |title=Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe Ricetta Originale Romana|language=it|trans-title=Spaghetti cacio e pepe – the original Roman recipe |website=The Foodellers|access-date=17 October 2019}} There is an [https://thefoodellers.com/en/pasta-cacio-e-pepe-recipe-from-rome English translation], but it lacks important tips on getting this deceptively simple dish right. Google Translate works well.
Despite the apparent simplicity of cacio e pepe, the pecorino cheese can very easily become lumpy, rather than smooth and creamy. The effect of temperature on cheese proteins and starch concentration has been studied by researchers, who have created a scientifically reliable way to make the dish.{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Nicola |date=29 April 2025 |title=Physicists find key to perfect pasta – but not how Mamma used to make it |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/29/physicists-find-key-to-perfect-pasta-but-not-how-mamma-used-to-make-it |newspaper=The Guardian}}{{cite arXiv |eprint=2501.00536 |last1=Bartolucci |first1=Giacomo |author2=Daniel Maria Busiello |last3=Ciarchi |first3=Matteo |last4=Corticelli |first4=Alberto |author5=Ivan Di Terlizzi |last6=Olmeda |first6=Fabrizio |last7=Revignas |first7=Davide |author8=Vincenzo Maria Schimmenti |title=Phase behavior of Cacio e Pepe sauce |date=2024 |class=cond-mat.soft }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite book |last1=Zanini De Vita |first1=Oretta |last2=Fant |first2=Maureen B. |year=2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rUczAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA102 |title=Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way |location=New York |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-08243-2 }}
- {{cite book
| last=Boni
| first=Ada
| title=La Cucina Romana
| publisher=Newton Compton Editori
| location=Roma
| year=1983
| orig-year=1930
| language=it
| ref=none
| isbn = 978-8854117815
}}
{{Pasta dishes}}
{{Cuisine of Italy}}