Carbonara is a traditional Italian pasta sauce. Carbonara means coal, and many believe the dish derives its name because it was popular among coal miners. Others believe, however, that the dish is called carbonara simply because of all the black, freshly milled pepper that is used.
Carbonara recipes vary but they are all made from eggs, black pepper, and pancetta or guanciale (pig's cheek or jowl bacon). Other ingredients in Italian versions of the dish include Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese. Some recipes also include cream or milk, garlic, and parsley, although this is not the original, roman version of the dish.
Like most traditional recipes, the origins of the dish are obscure. It is sometimes dated back to Ancient Rome. The name is derived from the Italian word for charcoal. Some say the pasta was first made as a hearty dish for Italian charcoal miners; others say that it was originally made over charcoal grills. Still others state that it is so named because the specks of bacon and pepper in the pasta look like bits of charcoal. It has even been suggested that it was created by the Carbonari ("coalmen"), the members of an Italian secret society: the ingredients could be kept in caves and other hiding places for a long time without deteriorating.
The dish was very popular after the Second World War when many Italians were eating eggs and bacon supplied by troops from the United States. It also became popular among American troops stationed in Italy; upon their return home, they popularized spaghetti alla carbonara (spaghetti with carbonara sauce) in North America.
Alfredo is a sauce made from heavy cream, butter, parsley, and minced garlic. It is most often served on fettuccine noodles.
Alfredo sauce was supposedly invented in Rome in 1914 by restaurant owner Alfredo di Lello. Earlier version was a Roman dish known as Fettuccine al burro (fettuccine with butter), prepared only with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and reserved cooking water as a sauce. When butter was added both before and after fettuccine was put in the serving bowl, the butter was known as doppio burro (double butter). Di Lelio's original contribution was to double the amount of butter in the bowl before the fettuccine would be poured in, thus a triplo burro (triple butter) effect instead of double. That is why the dish, still very different from the Alfredo sauce recipe, is known as Maestosissime fettuccine al triplo burro in Italy.
Fettuccine Alfredo became extremely popular, and his restaurant attracted many celebrities. Two of these were Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, who fell in love with the dish while on their honeymoon in 1927. On their return to the United States they asked for the same recipe, and thus introduced it to the New World. Since then Alfredo has been far more popular in the United States than in Italy, where it is mostly served to American tourists.
There are many modifications to the basic Fettuccine Alfredo. A popular one is adding chicken. Cheeses or vegetables are also often added to the recipe. It can also be served on many different types of pasta. There are many other uses for Alfredo sauce, as it can even be used to marinate meats.
Because of the butter and heavy cream, Alfredo is considered by some to be one of the least healthy sauces, for those who need to watch their diet carefully. It is sometimes referred to as "heart-attack-on-a-plate", but there are also low fat versions available.
A popular variation to Alfredo uses a Asiago/Parmesan/Romano cheese combination. Optionally, a cup of flour may be added to a large batch of the cheese mix so it thickens up more quickly, instead of needing to add extra cheese to absorb some of the light fluid. This helps the Alfredo maintain some of the creamy texture without adding an excessive amount of cheese. Adding flour does reduce the flavor of the sauce significantly.
Conversely, one can create an especially rich Alfredo by using plugra butter and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese instead of normal butter/margarine and parmesan, and leaving out the cream entirely. This creates a very rich sauce that might horrify fat-watchers, but thrills devout american Italian-food fanatics and low-carb dieters.
