Who does know about Fettuccine Alfredo, in Italy? Almost no one. But when writing a post about Alfredo sauce, I got slapped in the face!
Disclaimer:
- for American readers: if you are planning a travel to Italy, or if you are just sitting in a typical restaurant in front of the Colosseum, read these posts before having an order.
- for Italian readers living in the United States: if you have experienced what they call Italian food and you wish to participate in, send me an email.
- for all: I am an English beginner, so you will please forgive my mistakes, as well as my odd-British-ver-formal-style. Suggestions and corrections are welcome. Thank you!
When I first arrived to the United States, I learned that hamburgers are not as those thin and dry brown thing we eat with buns at any Italian McDonald’s. Likewise, living in Miami taught me that Mexican food is much more than tacos and tequila as we believe to know in Italy. So, why eating Italian food in the United States should be different?
Italian food in the US
In America many restaurant owners are Italian immigrants’ descendants. Maybe they have never traveled to Italy, after their ancestors relocated to the US mainly after World War II. They were usually really poor families who had lost everything with the war, and decided to move from Southern Italy to South and North America to find better opportunities. Their meals were scarce, with few ingredients: what they were able to find.
Since then, in the last 70 years, the Italian food culture has definitely improved. Italy is now a wealthy country, and the Italian food is widely known as well balanced, healthy, and savory. However, the American-Italian food hasn’t changed much.
No. We don’t eat the same things that you believe are coming from Italy, which are actually from the US, and most of the times we don’t like them.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Let’s first start with the fundamentals. The correct pronunciation for fettuccine is with the final “E” as you spell the “A” letter in English. The same as for grazie or lasagne.
As every Italian, I discovered the so called Alfredo sauce when arrived to the United States. We do not usually serve this specialty in our restaurants.
Fettuccine Alfredo, or the so called Alfredo sauce, are basically made of Parmesan and butter. Enough said, we do not have Parmesan, as well. In Italy, when we have the refrigerator empty and we don’t know what to eat, we boil 80 grams (if we’re not much hungry) of spaghetti and we made an emulsion of butter and Parmigiano, sometimes with pepper or/and nutmeg. We call it White spaghetti: it’s the basic step for every adolescent whose parents are out.
The slap in the face
So, as said, no one knows about Fettuccine Alfredo or Alfredo sauce before moving to the US. It’s only when you write a post that you discover that in your home city, the Capital of Italy, there is the place that actually invented the Alfredo Sauce!
Not only, there is actually two Alfredo in Rome who claim to be the real inventor of the pasta Alfredo!
So, thanks to this post I have learned (see comments!) that in 1914 an Italian restaurateur gave his name to this pasta, and I got slapped in my face!
(As far as I know, no one else in Rome knows this anecdote.)
If you’re traveling to Italy
Therefore, if you’re traveling to Italy, you’ll find pasta Alfredo only at that location. In every other restaurant, you may want to ask for Quattro formaggi (Four cheeses): the creamy and pungent flavor from gorgonzola (not blue cheese) will full your mouth.
And always remember that in Italy spaghetti or fettuccine are a main dish served by itself, not as a side to your steak or chicken.
Sun, May 5th 2014
This post had an additional turn-up. One of my readers came out is a former schoolmate from Rome, who had relocated to the US as well. At this point, she is the only Roman that in Rome actually ate Fettuccine Alfredo!
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Lucy in Florida 
ooooh GRAZIE per avermi illuminato su ste diamine di fettuccini alfredo. Ora so che le sa cucinare qualsiasi quindicenne italiano :DQuanto mi suona male anche Spaghetti Bolognese. Ma perchè non chiamarlo ragù?!? Suona così carino, rag-oou!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
E puoi immaginare come lo pronuncino, bolognese!p.s. My chef told me that Americans do the Alfredo sauce with heavy cream, butter and parmesan. That's why it's so smooth.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
“spagheCCi bologH-nessi with cappucciNNo”
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
era l'ordinazione standard dei turisti quando facevo la cameriera a roma….
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
HISTORY OF FETTUCCINE ALL'ALFREDO AND OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO”With reference to “fettuccine all'Alfredo” we have the pleasure to tell you the history of our grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, creator of this recipe in the world known.Alfredo di Lelio opened the restaurant “Alfredo” in Rome nel 1914, after leaving his first restaurant run by his mother Angelina in Rose Square (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). In this local spread the fame, first to Rome and then in the world, of “fettuccine all'Alfredo”. In 1943, during the war, Di Lelio gave the local to his collaborators.In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando (Alfredo II) his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 “Il Vero Alfredo”, which is now managed by his nephews Alfredo (same name of grandfather) and Ines (the same name of his grandmother, wife of Alfredo Di Lelio, who were dedicated to the noodles).In conclusion, the local Piazza Augusto Imperatore is following the family tradition of Alfredo Di Lelio and his notes noodles (see also the site of “Il Vero Alfredo” http://www.alfredo-roma.it/)Best regards Alfredo e Ines Di Lelio
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Thank you (ma commento in italiano o in inglese??) for your comment, today I have known something new. But trust me: I lived in Rome for almost 40 years and I never ate Fettuccine Alfredo in a restaurant – and I have never eaten at YOUR restaurant. Now I ask you: why Fettuccine Alfredo is best known abroad than in Rome? Why nobody produces Alfredo Sauce in Italy?As Latins said, Nemo propheta in patria.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
ben detto Lucy ! io comunque amo gli spaghetti aglio e olio e peperoncino che ritengo la massima espressione di Italian food 🙂 un caro saluto da Pinko Pallina ^______^alias little-princeOpsss…dovevo scrivere in English… forse ?
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Mio padre era maitre d'hotel sulle navi da crociera della Società Italia e come tale eseguiva alcuni piatti in sala, in presenza dei clienti. Uno dei più amati era proprio quello delle fettuccine all'Alfredo. Venivano preparate saltandole in padalla con poco burro, panna liquida, prosciutto cotto, noce moscata e parmigiano. Ancora oggi noi in casa prepariamo questo piatto che è buonissimo.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Ma la salsa alfredo non ha il prosciutto. Anche io faccio spesso un piatto come dici tu, ma le fettuccine all'alfredo sono un'altra cosa.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
e se posso perchè chiamare noodles gli spaghetti??? Interessantissima, Lucy, questa lunga storia… Dalle mie parti, vicino a Mi, ogni adolescente si fa gli spaghetti con olio e pepe quando è solo in casa 😉 quelli più “avanti” con pomodorini freschi e basilico, ma mai lo farebbe con questa crema così ricca e impegnativa e tantomeno pieni di aglio. La ricchezza regionale di cui parlavo “da me”.Ciao!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Niente da dire sulla salsa alfredo, io non sopporto i broccoli: mai mangiati in Italia e invece qua me li ritrovo dappertutto 😦
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Benvenuta Mrs. Weidner! Ma quindi poi ti sei trasferita 🙂 A me i broccoli piacciono un sacco, e' vero, qui li mettono un po' ovunque!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Dearest Anonimous, I was born and raised in Rome and this is the very first time I hear about this alleged invention which I'm used to call it 'burro e parmigiano' and I don't really know anyone who's willing to pay any amount of money for the very basic recipe that every teenager whose parents are out are able to replicate.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
I totally agree 😀
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Questo post sulle fettucine Alfredo è una totale scoperta! Come tutti coloro che hanno commentato prima di me, nemmeno io avevo mai sentito la storia di Alfredo. E dire che a qualsiasi americano mi abbia chiesto la ricetta delle fettucine alfredo ho sempre risposto, quasi ridendo, che non si tratta di una ricetta italiana ma di una rivisitazione (ignorante, ndr) degli spaghetti alla bolognese, perché qui a houston le propongono per lo più con sugo e polpette :-)Bellissimi post, e bellissimo blog by the way!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"