22 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:Therein lies the conundrum. Carbonara does not have variants. It is a specific style of a specific dish. I think this article from Epicurious explains it better than I can. Would you ever throw tomato sauce in Cacio e Pepe.
probably not, but if some said they made a tomato, cheese, and pepper pasta, i wouldn't take to the internet and froth, either.
10 minutes ago, weinoo said:Exactly - it's a specific dish. With specific ingredients. From a specific geographic area.
i expect few of you bothered to actually look at the recipe directions before leaping to judge.
"Carbonara, a Roman specialty, transforms a few basic ingredients into a rich pasta dish. It's traditionally made with Parmesan, eggs, guanciale (cured pork) and black pepper, but this version uses bacon, since it’s widely available and lends a nice smoky note. The creamy sauce is created when raw eggs are tossed with the hot pasta (away from direct heat to avoid curdled eggs). This can be tricky, but the method used here is foolproof: Whisk some hot pasta water into the beaten eggs, then drizzle the tempered egg mixture into the pasta while stirring vigorously for a glossy smooth sauce. Tomatoes are not traditional in carbonara, but they lend a bright tang to the dish."
she's extremely explicit about what traditional carbonara is, what changes she's made and why. the meal is much closer to carbonara than practically any other pasta dish. the name is fine.
this reminds me of people who try and offer up their southern purity by judging others on how they make cornbread.
