FAQ · Things people ask
No. Aglio e olio is Neapolitan in origin — it's sometimes called 'vermicelli alla Borbonica' in older Campanian recipes. It spread across Italy as cucina povera because the ingredients are shelf-stable. The 'Roman style' label is cookbook shorthand that's been repeated enough to feel true. You won't offend anyone in Naples by making it in Berlin.
No. Pre-minced garlic has preservatives that dull the flavor and it browns unevenly — you'll get bitter spots and raw spots in the same pan. Fresh cloves sliced thin with a knife is not optional here.
Not in the traditional version. Parmesan adds fat and salt and turns this into a different dish. If you want cheese, call it a variation. The dish is vegan as written and that's by design, not accident.
More water doesn't make more sauce — it makes watered-down pasta. Two to four tablespoons is enough for the emulsion. The oil does the coating; the starchy water creates the bind. Add more gradually if the pasta looks dry, but the oil-water ratio matters.
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Cacio e pepe is a technique problem wearing a three-ingredient disguise. The difference between a glossy, clinging sauce and a bowl of grainy clumped cheese is a matter of degrees — literally.
Gricia is the common ancestor of amatriciana and carbonara — no tomatoes, no eggs, nothing added across the centuries. Four ingredients, one pan, and a technique you can nail on the first attempt.
Amatriciana is not a Roman sauce — it is from Amatrice, a mountain town 150 km northeast of Rome, and the formula is fixed: guanciale, San Marzano tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, dry white wine, peperoncino. No onion, no garlic, no cream. The recipe below follows the original closely.
