American-style fettuccine alfredo topped with shrimp |
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Rome |
| Creator(s) | Alfredo di Lelio |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | Primo |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredient(s) | Fettuccine Parmesan cheese butter |
| Variations | Broccoli, cream, parsley, garlic, chicken, shrimp |
Fettuccine Alfredo is a pasta dish made from fettuccine pasta tossed with Parmesan cheese and butter.[1] As the cheese melts, it emulsifies the liquids to form a smooth and rich coating on the pasta. It was named by an Italian restaurateur at his restaurant Alfredo on the Via della Scrofa in Rome. The ingredients vary in US cuisine and it may be mixed with other ingredients such as broccoli, parsley, cream, garlic, shrimp, or chicken.
Contents |
Pasta tossed with cheese and butter has a long history both in Italy and abroad.[2]
It was popularised amongst US tourists in Rome by restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio who served it with his own name attached:
Fettuccine al burro is associated in every tourist's mind with Rome, possibly because the original Alfredo succeeded in making its serving a spectacle reminiscent of grand opera.[3]
The restaurant's story is that the dish was invented by di Lelio at his restaurant Alfredo in 1914 as a variation of fettuccine al burro. 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)[4] effect instead of double) which he started doing for his pregnant wife who was having difficulty keeping food down. Alfredo added the new dish to his restaurant's menu when his wife began eating again.
A long-time customer recounted that di Lelio's restaurant became famous when Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks stopped in and fell in love with the dish while on their honeymoon in 1927. To express their gratitude, they gave him a golden fork and spoon along with a photo of them eating in his restaurant. He proudly displayed the photo on the wall. Pickford and Fairbanks served his dish to their friends and associates when they returned to Hollywood. Word about the new dish quickly spread.[5]
Alfredo di Lelio sold his restaurant 5 May 1943. The new owner kept the restaurant's name, menu, traditional recipes, photos on the wall, and everything else; as of 2011, the restaurant is still in business under the name Alfredo alla Scrofa.[6]
When Rome prepared for a large religious celebration in 1959, some local businessmen tracked down Alfredo di Lelio and offered to build him a new restaurant. He was retired, but he agreed to show up and act as a greeter there. When the holiday arrived, old customers showed up and had their photos taken for the walls of the "new" restaurant located at 30 Piazza Augusto Imperatore, a few blocks north of his original location.
That expansion continued in 1977 when Alfredo II and Guido Bellanca opened a new "Alfredo's" by Rockefeller Center in New York City to serve it. The walls of that restaurant are plastered with drawings by Al Hirschfeld - including the rest rooms. Another Alfredo's opened in the Epcot at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista. As of September 2007, the Epcot branch is closed.
Fettuccine Alfredo has now become ubiquitous in Italian-style restaurants in the United States. In Italy and throughout Europe, the name "Fettuccine Alfredo" is basically unknown; being called pasta al burro (pasta with butter) in the north or pasta in bianco (pasta in white) in the south.[7]
There are many modifications to the basic fettuccine Alfredo which are used to lower the cost. Cream may be added to the butter. Less expensive cheeses, such as U.S.-made Parmesan cheese, an imitation of Parmigiano-Reggiano, are often used; the cheese is sometimes mixed with flour as a thickener. Thickening can also be achieved by mixing the sauce with a small amount of roux (flour and liquid butter or olive oil) as the liquid reaches boiling. Occasionally, other cheeses such as asiago and romano may be added to alter the flavor. Other types of pasta are sometimes used.
To make it a single-dish meal, chicken and vegetables, such as peas, are often served on top. Another variation uses egg in combination with cream, butter and cheese.
Alfredo sauce is often sold as a convenience food in many grocery stores in the United States. Unlike the original preparation, which is thickened only by cheese, these versions may be thickened with starch.
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