Just five ingredients
Roman carbonara is made with pasta, guanciale, eggs, pecorino romano and black pepper. Guanciale is cured pork cheek: tastier and richer than pancetta, it turns crisp outside and tender inside as it cooks. Pecorino romano is an aged sheep's milk cheese, salty and sharp.
The eggs, beaten with the pecorino and pepper, are stirred into the pasta off the heat: the heat of the pasta and a splash of cooking water turn them into a silky sauce instead of scrambled eggs.
What is not in a carbonara
The Roman recipe has no cream, which is often used abroad to make it creamy. There is no onion, garlic or parsley either, and smoked pancetta or bacon completely change the taste of the dish.
A little history
Carbonara is a fairly young dish: the first written recipes date back to the mid-twentieth century. There are many theories about its origin, but one thing is certain: it has become a symbol of Roman cooking, together with its "sisters" gricia, amatriciana and cacio e pepe.
Carbonara at Volare
Our spaghetti carbonara costs €13 and is made the traditional way: guanciale, eggs, pecorino and pepper. To try the other Roman pastas too, there are tonnarelli cacio e pepe, fettuccine alla gricia and spaghetti all'amatriciana; you will find them all on the menu.
We are at Via di San Giovanni in Laterano 48, 300 metres from the Colosseum, open every day from 12:00 to 23:00. For dinner it is best to book a table.