Faking Italian Cuisine: The Surprising Discrepancies of Pasta Carbonara and Other Beloved Italian Dishes”.

Pasta carbonara, a beloved Italian dish, is often misrepresented by foreigners with numerous variations that stray from the traditional recipe. A survey by Coldiretti, an Italian farming association, found that almost six out of ten Italians have encountered distorted versions of their cuisine while traveling abroad. This phenomenon, known as “fake in Italy,” will be addressed by Coldiretti at Brenner, where they will inspect trucks and tankers to prevent counterfeit Italian products from being exported.

One common deviation from the traditional carbonara recipe is the use of Romano cheese instead of pecorino, bacon instead of pancetta, and cream instead of eggs. In the United States, the use of “Romano Cheese” is particularly controversial as it is made from cow’s milk, not sheep’s milk as required by Italian regulations. Furthermore, American variations of carbonara found on recipe sites often include ingredients like frozen peas, butter, or basil, which are not traditionally used in the Italian dish.

However, it’s not just carbonara that is often distorted outside of Italy. For example, spaghetti Bolognese is a popular dish in England but does not actually exist in traditional Italian cuisine. Similarly, pasta with meatballs is a common variation on a classic Italian dish that has been adapted for American palates with ground beef and breadcrumbs instead of traditional meat and herbs.

Another dish that is frequently modified abroad is pesto. While pesto originated in Italy and was traditionally made with basil and pine nuts ground up in a mortar and pestle with garlic and olive oil, many variations can be found around the world that include different ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers or even skip the garlic altogether.