Carbonara day, where did you eat the best one in Rome? Write to us here –

Guanciale, egg yolks, pecorino romano, pepper and, of course, pasta, possibly spaghetti. These are the fundamental ingredients for preparing carbonara, one of the most iconic recipes of the Capitoline gastronomic tradition which is celebrated, like every year, on 6 April. In fact, immediately after the great Easter binges, all over the world, and certainly in Rome, it is time to put our legs back under the table to celebrate, obviously by eating, Carbonara Day 2024.

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And while there is no shortage of conflicting opinions on its origin (some, in fact, maintain that it was invented by American soldiers during the Second World War by combining bacon with the powdered eggs contained in K rations, others instead attribute the paternity to a Bolognese chef intent on to satisfy the palates of the Allied troops) there are no doubts about the main ingredients that compose it. The chefs, however, in their desire to give a personal touch to their menus, albeit with deferential respect for tradition, have tried their hand at re-editing this timeless dish.

THE AROMA «SHAKERATA». Here, therefore, among the starred chefs, Giuseppe Di Iorio who, with a view of the Colosseum from the top of the Aroma restaurant, inside Palazzo Manfredi, with the mastery that an experienced chef like him can offer, offers his Carbonara made with excellent raw materials combined with a refined technique. For this reason, tasting his version becomes a unique experience from multiple points of view. First of all, the way in which it is served: inventor of the very famous shaken Carbonara, Di Iorio brings the pasta to the table while it is still inside a mixology shaker. It is right there that the preparation is completed, allowing all the ingredients to mix well together and strictly away from the heat. Thus, the cream made from pecorino romano and eggs fills the mezze sleeves and blends with the crunchy bacon. Everything is then poured onto the diner’s plate through a fascinating live rotation of the shaker.

MADELEINE’S PILLOW MIXES A purist of the traditional recipe, however, is Simone Maddaleni, chef of the Parisian-inspired bistro Madeleine in the Prati district of Rome. According to Maddaleni, tradition has the honor and at the same time the burden of telling a lot about the gastronomic culture of a territory and beyond. His very personal contribution to the traditional Carbonara recipe is a special mix of bacon calibrated to perfection, to harmonize the taste. In fact, his selection includes different types, from the tastiest to the smoked, from the sweetest to the long-matured one: in a perfect balance, he thus composes the mix that will fill his Carbonara, presenting itself with the right crunchiness and in perfect paired with egg-based cream and pecorino romano.

THE MARQUIS AND THE LOW SALINITY PECORINO 100% tradition and carefully selected excellent raw materials are also the main ingredients of the Carbonara by Daniele Roppo, executive chef of the two Il Marchese locations in Rome and Milan. Yellow-fleshed eggs from free-range hens, Re Norcino bacon, made in an artisanal way with a century-old recipe without the addition of additives from Duroc pigs from the Marche region fed with cereals and aged for over thirty days, Parmigiano Reggiano in small quantities and , obviously, pecorino romano DOP from the Cibaria selection. It is a unique product, made with whole milk from sheep reared in the wild on highland pastures. Pecorino is certainly one of the most representative ingredients in the history of this first course, which has now become symbolic of the gastronomic tradition of the capital. The carbonara, like the other traditional first courses, is served at Il Marchese in the spectacular steel pan with handle.

CALAMOSCA CARBOSARDA The fame of carbonara crosses regional borders to reach Sardinia, where at the Calamosca restaurant, on the occasion of the anniversary of 6 April, chef Michele Ferrara will propose his very personal version called “Carbosarda”: made from egg spaghetti homemade and bronze drawn in the restaurant kitchens, this island variant of the typical Roman dish makes use of excellent local raw materials. In the «Carbosarda» of Ferrara we find the Su Sartizzu bacon aged for around 60 days, characterized by a special blend of spices and a fat with a rich flavour. And this is how a traditional Roman and Lazio dish becomes a symbol of unity for the entire country.