rome
—
Italians have very strict rules for making carbonara. The classic combination of Italian pasta, pork and cheese is mixed with egg yolk and pepper, preferably just before serving, to create the perfect dish.
That’s why there was outrage when bottles of a pale, creamy sauce made in Belgium with unusual ingredients labeled “Carbonara” appeared on the shelves of the European Parliament, the body that Italy frequently seeks to protect its traditional foods from counterfeits.
Now, Italy’s Agriculture Minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, has called for an immediate investigation into the alleged crime of cooking on market shelves at a facility in Brussels.
The product, made by Belgian food manufacturer Delhaize, does not claim the sauce is made in Italy, but critics say it commits the cardinal sin of substituting smoked pancetta for guanciale (pork’s jaw) in the recipe.
Authentic carbonara recipes traditionally include guanciale, pecorino cheese, and grana cheese. According to La Cucina Italiana, the bible of Italian cooking, pancetta cannot be substituted.
Lollobrigida raged about the incident in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“Aside from the pancetta in the carbonara…all of these products are the worst of all Italian-ish products,” he posted. “It is unacceptable for them to appear on supermarket shelves in the European Parliament. I have called for an immediate investigation.”
For Lollobrigida, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Italian Brotherhood party, the issue is not just a matter of bad taste, but one of national pride.
Italy is currently seeking UNESCO recognition of its cuisine as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, with a decision expected in December. And Lollobrigida says the “Italian-ish” food that’s so common around the world dilutes one of the most important aspects of Italian culture: authenticity.
“Our food is simple, but not easy,” Lollobrigida said at the Summer Fancy Food Festival in New York in July. “The sea and the land give us what we need. Thanks to our processors, you can expect excellent product quality,” he said.
Coldiretti, Italy’s largest farm and agriculture lobby, says producing Italian-style food is expensive.
“Italy’s fake products scandal costs our country 120 billion euros ($138 billion) a year, and paradoxically the biggest counterfeiters of Italy’s excellent products have become developed countries,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday after Lollobrigida called for an investigation into Belgian sources.
The Belgian company that produced the sauce did not respond to CNN’s request for comment, but the European Parliament said the product has now been removed from market shelves.
Coldiretti lists several Italian dishes that are regularly counterfeited, including mozzarella, salami, mortadella and pesto.
Coldiretti added that the use of the colors of the Italian flag, Italian-sounding product names, and even photographs of Italian monuments amount to regulatory issues and are misleading under European Union regulations.
The latest carbonara kaffle is not the first time this dish has caused controversy.
Last year, Heinz introduced a canned version of Spaghetti Carbonara that used pancetta instead of guanciale, prompting comparisons to cat food and a barrage of colorful comments.
While the authenticity of Italian cuisine has long been considered an integral part of cultural heritage, some Italians believe it’s time to evolve.
In 2023, historian Alberto Grandi wrote a book titled “La Cucina Italiana Non Esiste” (“Italian Cuisine Doesn’t Exist”), sparking outrage by suggesting that carbonara and pizza are American inventions rather than Italian products.
He argues that Italians who immigrated to the United States brought many traditions with them, strengthened them there, and then returned to Italy, calling their improvements “authentic.”
However, he is not opposed to Italian cuisine gaining the coveted UNESCO recognition.
“UNESCO does not give any designation to recipes,” he told CNN in 2023, suggesting it recognized the importance of cuisine and tradition in Italian culture. “The question is philosophical, not gastronomic.”
