Carbonara was supposedly “invented” by the carbonai (charcoal burners in Roman dialect), in the area of Aquila, with ingredients that were easy to find and store, such as pasta, eggs and pecorino cheese. In fact, to make charcoal, it was necessary to keep an eye on the charcoal kiln for a long time, so it was important to have necessary provisions with you. The addition of pepper came much later to give a balsamic note.

All you have to do is mention it to get an ovation at the table. The queen of single-course meals, the lifter of spirits:eggplant parmigiana. It’s a recipe shared by regions in both the north and south of Italy, all of which claim to be its birthplace: Emilia Romagna, Campania (parmigiana ’e mulignane), and Sicily (parmiciana or patrociane) with some variation in ingredients and ways of assembling it, but all absolutely fantastic!