Perfect cacio e pepe, decoded: an Ig Nobel prize-winning research study.
QuoteWhat started as a frustrating kitchen challenge turned into award-winning science: Fabrizio Olmeda and his colleagues scientifically decoded the secret of creamy cacio e pepe and earned the Ig Nobel Prize. Their research showed how starch can stabilize Pecorino into a smooth sauce, turning a culinary mystery into physics-driven perfection.
Here's the original journal article.
From the original article:
QuoteFor a practical example, consider preparing Cacio e pepe for two hungry people. This typically requires 300 g of pasta (tonnarelli is preferred, though spaghetti or rigatoni also works well) and 200 g of cheese. The amount of cheese can, of course, vary depending on personal taste. Traditionalists would insist on using only Pecorino Romano DOP, but some argue that up to 30% Parmigiano Reggiano DOP is acceptable, though this remains a point of debate.
