Let’s start from carbonara by Max Mariola to go around history and return to the carbonara of 1954, when The Italian kitchen publishes the “requested” recipe with garlic, bacon and gruyere. Carbonara or carbonare? Nowadays, we are increasingly moving towards the plural in defining this dish, even if there exists, almost by convention, a codified version from Lazio, or more specifically from Rome, which involves the use of the classic 5 ingredients: egg yolk, bacon, pecorino, salt and pepper, in addition to pasta of course. A codification “conquered” over years of variations and adjustments, which make this dish one of the richest in history and stories, among those today associated with the Italian gastronomic tradition.
On the occasion of the Milanese event organized by pasta makers of Unione Italiana Food dedicated to the 70th anniversary of carbonara and the upcoming one eighth Carbonara Day, chef Max Mariola cooked the two versions of yesterday and today for his guests. From here, the starting point for a chat together.
The ’54 carbonara? It’s good!
On this occasion, we asked chef Mariola what did you think when you first read the recipe published on The Italian kitchen of August 1954, in a short interview, here’s what he told us.
Chef Mariola saw the first carbonara recipe on the pages of our newspaper: what did you think when you read it?
MM «I felt bad! Guys: there’s garlic, there’s Gruyere… and smoked bacon! I said to myself, but it’s not possible, but what happened? It’s a trick, it’s impossible… What have you done…”
Have you tried cooking it? Did she like it?
MM «Yes, I tried it: and I must say… it’s good too! (he says it in Roman dialect, ed). Especially if you eat without thinking about today’s recipe, without being influenced, in short.”
So, are you in favor of imagination even when it comes to carbonara?
MM «Absolutely yes, we are Italian, creative, convivial and gourmets!
We brought you the original recipe from 1954, will you give us your contemporary version?
“Certain. And also some advice: pay attention to the “carbocream”! It must be cooked a little, because it must reach a particular density, smooth and enveloping, a bit like that of an English cream. The question of cooking the egg is one that is often debated, when talking about this fantastic dish, one even thinks of using a boiled egg. However, I have experimented and this short cooking is what characterizes my version. Seeing is believing!”