carbonara — Italy

Carbonara is a pasta dish built on an emulsion of egg yolks, grated pecorino romano, and starchy pasta water, tossed with spaghetti and pieces of guanciale, then finished with black pepper. It belongs to the wider group of Roman pasta dishes built around a small number of ingredients handled with precise technique. It is closely associated with Rome and the surrounding Lazio region, where it is a staple on trattoria menus, though its exact origins are debated and it is eaten throughout the country. It is generally made without cream or garlic, in contrast to some versions found abroad. Guanciale is cut into small strips or cubes and rendered slowly in a pan until crisp, without added oil, releasing its fat. Egg yolks — sometimes with one or two whole eggs — are whisked with grated pecorino romano and black pepper. The cooked spaghetti is tossed with the guanciale and its fat off the heat, then combined with the egg mixture away from direct flame, using the pasta's residual warmth and a little starchy cooking water to bring the sauce together into a smooth coating. The exact ratio of yolks to whole eggs, the amount of pecorino, and the coarseness of the black pepper vary by cook, but the technique of building the sauce off the heat to avoid scrambling the eggs remains constant; guanciale is the pork cut most often specified, distinguishing this preparation from versions made with other cured pork.