Course | Primo (Italian pasta course); main course |
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Place of origin | Italy |
Region or state | Lazio |
Main ingredients | Pasta, pecorino romano, black pepper |
Cacio e pepe (Italian: [ˈkaːtʃo e pˈpeːpe]) is a pasta dish from the cuisine of the city of Rome.[1] Cacio e pepe means 'cheese and pepper' in several central Italian dialects. In keeping with its name, the dish contains grated pecorino romano and black pepper, together with spaghetti[1] or spaghettini.[2] All the ingredients keep well for a long time, which made the dish practical for shepherds without fixed abode. Rough-surfaced pasta is recommended, to make the sauce adhere well.
The pasta is prepared in boiling salted water as usual; it is then poured into the grated pecorino mixed with black pepper, with a little of the hot, starchy, cooking water. The heat melts the cheese, and the starches in the water help bind the pepper and cheese to the pasta.[3]
While not traditional to cacio e pepe, seafood or bacon may be added, and other shapes of pasta such as rigatoni, always made with a rough surface, may be used.[3] Pecorino romano is also sometimes substituted with Parmesan.