Pasta alla carbonara (usually spaghetti, but occasionally linguine or bucatini) is an Italian pasta dish based on eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale, and black pepper. It was invented in the middle of the 20th century.

The recipes vary, though all agree that cheese (parmesan, pecorino, or a combination), egg yolks (or whole eggs), cured fatty pork (guanciale usually preferred to pancetta) and black pepper are basic. The pork is fried in fat (olive oil or lard); a mixture of eggs, cheese, and butter or olive oil is combined with the hot pasta, cooking the eggs; the pork is then added to the pasta. Guanciale is the most usual meat, but pancetta is also used.

Cream is not used in Italian recipes, but is used in the United States, France and the UK. Other Anglo/Franco variations on carbonara may include peas, broccoli or other vegetables added for color. Yet another American version includes mushrooms. Many of these preparations have more sauce than the Italian versions, and resemble fettuccine alfredo.

In all versions of the recipe, the eggs are added to the sauce raw, and cook with the heat of the pasta itself.

Like most recipes, the origins of the dish are obscure, and there are many legends about it. As the name is derived from the Italian word for charcoal, some believe that the dish was first made as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers. This theory gave rise to the term “coal miner’s spaghetti,” which is used to refer to spaghetti alla carbonara in parts of the United States. Others say that it was originally made over charcoal grills. Still others suggest 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 (”charcoalmen”), an Italian secret society.

This article is taken from Wikipedia.