There are certain dishes that you just don't mess with in Italian cuisine, one being carbonara – the simple Roman pasta dish of eggs, pecorino cheese and guanciale (pig jowl). Delicious.
Unfortunately it's one that tends to be bastardised a lot and many of us have probably had to endure the odd carbonara with cream or mushrooms in a shoddy Italian restaurant.
Nigella Lawson should know better however. The British TV personality and cookbook author has angered many Italians after she posted a recipe that includes white wine or vermouth, and double cream in the list of ingredients to her Facebook page.
One comment described her recipes as the "death of Italian recipes," while another enraged Italian pleaded, "Nigella for us, Italians and Romans, its absolutely forbidden any kind of cream in any kind of pasta and never never never in carbonara! Please!" Another threatened: "Nigella, stay away from Italian cuisine, its a serious matter," while another accused her of the "murder" of Italian cuisine.
You can read all the responses below. The general feeling seems to be, yes you can adapt the recipe to your taste, but please don't call it carbonara.
Remember when Jamie Oliver posted his version of a classic paella? That went down similarly badly.
Here's how to make Carbonara properly according to Michelin-starred chefs.
Our #recipe of the day is ... SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA https://www.nigella.com/recipes/spaghetti-alla-carbonara I...
Posted by Nigella Lawson on Tuesday, July 4, 2017
