Among the food and wine debates regarding traditional Italian cuisine, one certainly involves a gem of Roman cuisine: the famous fettuccine alla papalina. Pecorino romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese? Prosciutto crudo or prosciutto cotto? And what about the cream? To answer these questions, we need to go back to the origins of the recipe. Which are not so far off. The Pope in question is in fact Pius XII, born Eugenio Pacelli.
An aristocratic dish
He became Pope in 1939 and in the '50s, he found himself in front of a Rome where spaghetti alla carbonara was all the rage. So much so that – as we have seen – some say that the famous dish was inspired by the eggs and bacon of American soldiers. The fact is that Pius XII asked the Vatican chef for a more delicate and "aristocratic" version of spaghetti alla carbonara. The cook then replaced the bacon and guanciale with prosciutto crudo, Parmigiano with pecorino cheese and garlic with onion, sautéed in butter. The latter, together with the egg yolk, added a creamier texture. As for the pasta, the preference went to egg pasta, and in particular fettuccine from Ciociaria.
The age-old question of American influence
However, there are numerous versions of this recipe, and even the stories about its origins don’t make miuch sense. In fact, Livio Jannotti, in his book “La cucina romana e del Lazio in 400 traditional recipes,” traces the recipe back to Cesaretto Simmi, owner of the Ristorante del Colonnato – since closed – in Via del Mascherino, a stone's throw from St. Peter's Square, who "often had the opportunity to provide lunches directly to the Vatican.” Around 1935, the future Pope Pacelli – then Secretary of State – asked the restaurateur for "a pasta that was a little bit special" to surprise a group of foreign guests. However, the reference to spaghetti alla carbonara remains a mystery; if confirmed, it would be proof of the existence of this dish even before the war and the arrival of the Americans. All that remains is to ask the Simmi family, who now run the restaurant La Cisterna in Rome. Surely fettuccine alla papalina soon became one of the battle horses of the taverns in Trastevere, Testaccio, Sant'Angelo and the other districts of the capital.
The variants
As for the different versions of the fettuccine alla papalina recipe, a first doubt concerns the prosciutto: should it be raw (‘crudo’) or cooked (‘cotto’)? The original, as we have seen, involves the use of raw ham, most likely a salty Umbrian or Tuscan one. But, to respect the more delicate spirit of the dish, you can also opt for a Parma or a San Daniele. And even cooked ham seems to be an absolutely appropriate choice. There are also numerous versions that include the use of peas. Here too, a legitimate choice – even if the combination with cream reminds us of the "chef's pasta" of the 1980s, where a bit of everything went in at the end. A clue that becomes certain if, in addition to peas, we also find mushrooms.
Fettuccine alla papalina: butter, pasta and cheese
We also discussed the use of cream. This tradition seems to be a subsequent innovation and allows us to increase the creaminess without using butter – which, in the preparation of the fried onion, can be replaced by extra-virgin olive oil. In Lazio and Umbria, it is not uncommon to find portions of pasta in which cream, eggs and butter disappear in favor of gruviera or other melted cheeses! As for pasta, perfect matches seem to be also tagliatelle (of the paglia or fieno varieties in particular) or other short pastas. In short, we are faced with an aristocratic and imaginative dish – where variations are welcome. As long as you remember the delicacy of its birthplace and do not exaggerate in the richness of its ingredients.