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Posted on 08/09/2025 10:32:16 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The decision to modify a popular Italian pasta dish has caused uproar in the heart of Rome, resulting in strongly worded letter to the British embassy
A disagreement about pasta has turned into a low-level international diplomatic incident after a British website altered the recipe for a popular Italian dish, resulting in a clash between the two nations.
A recipe for cacio e pepe, a dish made up of pasta, black pepper, and pecorino cheese, was posted on the Good Food website, a popular place for Britons to discover new recipes, a website that was formerly owned by the BBC.
As well as recommending the use of the original constituent ingredients, the website also said people should add butter and parmesan as part of the meal’s construction.
The news did not go down well in Rome. In fact, it went down so badly the British embassy received a furious letter from a branch of the restaurant association Fiepet-Confesercenti, triggering the international dispute.
The incident comes less than year after Britain and Italy committed to "long and warm relations...full of promise and opportunity" following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
President of the Fiepet-Confesercenti, Claudio Pica, said they were “astonished” to see the recipe on Good Food's website and called for it to be corrected.
What’s more, Mr Pica told the Times that so shocking was the move, run by Immediate Media, that it was akin to Italians taking whisky and adding a popular carbonated beverage of their own.
He told the publication: "That's like us coming to Britain and demanding the finest double malt whisky mixed with lemonade. We demand the recipe, as published, is changed at once.”
Whilst Good Food used be owned by the BBC, it is no longer owned by the corporation, which sold it to Immediate Media in 2018. Furthermore, the use of the BBC name was dropped in April 2024.
What the ultimatum will be should the changes not be made is not clear, but this latest food-based fracas comes after Heinz decided to sell their version of spaghetti carbonara in a can.
This isn’t the first time there has been an international disagreement between Britain and another allied country. In January 2024, there was a near clash between the UK and the USA over an American scientists’ claim that you should add salt to tea.
The suggestion was made by Professor Michell Francl at Bryn Mawr College who made the statement of analysis of ancient texts and papers dating back more than 1,000 years years.
Fortunately, under the then Biden administration, the UK and USA were united in their belief that salt should not necessarily in the 21st Century cup of tea with the US Embassy in London releasing a statement in response.
On X (formerly Twitter), they wrote: “Tea is the elixir of camaraderie, a sacred bond that unites our nations, we cannot stand idly by as such an outrageous proposal threatens the very foundation of our Special Relationship.
“We want to ensure the good people of the UK that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy. And never will be.
“Let us unite in our steeped solidarity and show the world that when it comes to tea, we stand as one. The US Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way – by microwaving it.”
Whether this policy has continued under the Trump administration is not yet known.
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No one. But many Europeans feel slighted if you change their food to your liking.
If it’s pineapple they’re right to protest.
LOL!! It sounds like the Ambassador has a nice sense of the redonkuluss.
In Denmark they had what looked like canned mixed vegetables on pizza. I didn’t try it.
That was a great ad!
Cacio e Pepe (pronounced ca-cho ee pepe) is a classic Roman pasta dish, whose name translates to “cheese and pepper”. This simple, yet incredibly flavorful dish, is a staple of Roman cuisine and has gained global popularity for its creamy texture and rich taste.
Traditionally made with long pasta shapes like tonnarelli, bucatini, or spaghetti. Pecorino Romano, an aged sheep’s cheese, is the star ingredient. It provides the dish with its signature salty and tangy flavor, and is crucial for creating the creamy sauce. Freshly ground black pepper is essential. Toasting the pepper before adding it to the dish enhances its aromatic qualities and flavor profile.
The starchy water left over from cooking the pasta is key to creating a smooth, emulsified sauce.
While simple in terms of ingredients, mastering Cacio e Pepe requires some attention to detail to achieve the desired creamy, smooth sauce: Grate the cheese: Finely grate Pecorino Romano cheese. Cook the pasta: Boil the pasta in lightly salted water, cooking it until it is just under al dente. Reserve some of the starchy cooking water before draining. Toast the pepper: Toast freshly cracked black pepper in a dry pan until fragrant.
Create the sauce base: Add some of the reserved pasta water to the pan with the toasted pepper and simmer. Emulsify the cheese: Turn off the heat and gradually add the grated cheese, tossing vigorously to melt it and create a creamy sauce, adding more pasta water as needed to adjust consistency. Combine and serve: Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss everything together, ensuring the pasta is well coated in the sauce. Serve immediately, topped with extra Pecorino Romano and freshly ground black pepper.
Tips for success Use high-quality ingredients, especially the Pecorino Romano cheese. Grate the cheese fresh for the best texture and melting consistency. Don’t be afraid to add extra pasta water if the sauce appears too thick or lumpy. Tossing the pasta and sauce vigorously helps in creating a smooth emulsion.
Cacio e Pepe is a testament to the power of simple, high-quality ingredients and careful technique in creating a truly delicious dish.
Wait - ketchup over Ramen noodles isn’t spaghetti?
My whole college career was a sham...
Tsk tsk tsk.....you learned nothing in college.
Your “familiarity” w/ ketchup could get you a job as a pumper in McD’s.
Shut up about Mandami. Who cares about Texas’ voting districts. Here is an issue concerning to all of us!
This article is not from Babylon Bee!
Do we get all upset about the things called hamburgers in other parts of the world? No, or at least I don’t. Those people are foreigners. They do stuff differently. They don’t know any better.
PURE EVIL!!!
I was taught how to make pasta sauce by my ex-husband’s Italian (actually Albanian til it was taken over by what’s his name during WWII) grandmother. Just tomatoes, garlic, a little olive oil, basil, and salt, if needed, and a small dash of red pepper flakes. When I make it, I use 1 - 29 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1 15 oz can of stewed tomatoes, and half a 6 oz can of tomato paste mixed with about half a cup of water. fry the garlic in the oil a little, then add everything else and simmer about half an hour. Always gets raves. I serve it with a sprinkle of parm/Romano cheese, and homemade meatballs, which are equally simple -— ground beef, Italian seasoned bread crumbs (don’t skimp, unless you like hard meatballs), egg, and a little water. salt to taste, and little Italian seasoning.
As well as recommending the use of the original constituent ingredients, the website also said people should add butter and parmesan as part of the meal’s construction.
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I couldn’t stomach that!
If the Brits want to bastardize Italian recipes they should name it something else. Italians being vigilant about their ingredients and food is why they don’t have all the crap chemicals in their food that we have in the US.
Montgomery Scott
Well there goes my idea of serving Chef Boyardi spaghetti and meatballs out of a food truck in front of the Roman Colosseum
This is one of my favorite foods to order in Italy. It’s delicious and it’s inexpensive.
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