Carbonara Day Is Now Cabonara Month

Carbonara Day is back, but for Casa Barilla the celebration will last for an entire month.

Carbonara Day was established in Italy last April 6 as a way to hail a particularly delicious pasta that most believe was first made in mid-20th Century Rome as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers. Casa Barilla will celebrate the second annual Carbonara Day by introducing Chef Alfonso Sanna’s signature Pasta alla Carbonara on April 6 and keeping it as part of the Barilla menu until May 6.

Derived from carbonaro (the Italian word for charcoal burner), this classic pasta dish has been referred to in the United States as “coal miner’s spaghetti.” But it’s really much more than that. If noted writer/humorist Calvin Trillin had his way, spaghetti carbonara would replace turkey as America’s traditional Thanksgiving meal. After all, as Trillin has written, “…nobody knows for sure if the Pilgrims really ate turkey at the first Thanksgiving dinner.”

What makes the story of carbonara even more interesting is that the recipe is not fixed. Almost every Italian chef will cook it as he or she sees fit, and Chef Alfonso is no exception. His Pasta alla Carbonara is made with Barilla Thick Spaghetti, Crispy Bacon, Pasteurized Egg Yolk, Parmigiano and Pecorino Cheese, a Touch of Cream, and Crushed Black Pepper.

“After they eat my Pasta alla carbonara,” Chef Alfonso says, “every other recipe will be tied for second.”

For more information about Casa Barilla visit their website here.