commonly said to account for more than two-thirds of the whole annual consumption of pasta, is certainly its most popular form (among many—see pasta shapes), but by no means the oldest. Indeed, until the introduction of extrusion presses, and especially of the powerful machines which were introduced in the latter part of the 19th century (see pasta manufacture), its production was a laborious business.
Macaroni, tubular and hollow, was easier to make without modern machinery, and its name was sometimes used in a generic way for pasta. Spaghetti is solid and thin (the name means ‘thin cords’), but not as thin as vermicelli, for example. The differences in diameter were what struck Mrs Beeton (1861), it would seem, since in one passage she implies that this is the only difference between macaroni and spaghetti. No doubt this was because spaghetti had only recently reached England. According to Ayto (1993), the first record of the word being used in print in English belongs to Eliza Acton (edition of 1849), who also showed a lack of familiarity with the product by spelling it ‘sparghetti’. Ayto goes on to point out that spaghetti only became a commonplace of the British diet after the Second World War, ‘either in the somewhat travestied form of tinned spaghetti in tomato sauce (often produced in rings or hoops, to get round the problem of how to pick up the long wayward strings on a fork—always an embarrassment to the British) or as the perennial bed-sitter standby spaghetti Bolognese, spaghetti in tomato and beef sauce (often abbreviated half-affectionately to spag bol or spag bog).’
Returning to Italy, it becomes clear that Eliza Acton and Mrs Beeton were pardonably unsure in this matter. The earliest record of the word spaghetti (in an Italian dialect dictionary for the region of Piacenza) has been dated by Piccinardi (1993) at 1836. And the term was not recorded in mainstream Italian until 1846; this by the author of a domestic dictionary, who more or less equated spaghetti with vermicelli. Piccinardi explains that this dual nomenclature persisted, reflecting the practice of certain manufacturers, and exists even now; in some parts of S. Italy vermicelli is the preferred term for either or both.
Anyway, for reasons thus made clear, the names of the Italian spaghetti dishes which are now known worldwide are of relatively recent birth. It might be thought that spaghetti and tomato sauce, perhaps the simplest combination, would go a long way back. However, the first author who could claim to record the combination of pasta and tomato is Francesco Leonardi in his Apicio moderno of 1790 (see Italian cookery books, and see Willan, 1977, and Wright, 1999). Not so long afterwards, tomato sauce for pasta appears in Ippolito Cavalcanti's Cucina teorico pratica of 1839. This book also includes dressings based on fish and one with clams resembling present-day Spaghetti alle vongole. Another of Cavalcanti's dressings uses cheese and beaten raw egg. This is a precursor of the modern Spaghetti alla carbonara, one of the most popular pasta dishes, but of obscure origin.
Spaghetti alla carbonara is made with spaghetti which, when still as hot as possible from cooking, is liberally dressed with hot fried pancetta (the sort called guanciale), which resembles bacon, raw beaten egg, and grated cheese. The heat cooks the egg to some extent. Additions often made are a little wine, heated with the bacon, or cream. It has been suggested that this is a traditional dish of the carbonari, or charcoal burners, but that is implausible. A more credible explanation is that it was invented in 1944 as a result of the American occupation troops having their lavish rations of eggs and bacon prepared by local cooks. The name would then be from a Rome restaurant, the ‘Carbonara’, which makes a speciality of the dish.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Ayto, John (1993), The Diner's Dictionary, Oxford: OUP.
Beeton, Isabella (1861), Beeton's Book of Household Management, facsimile of 1st edn, London: Chancellor (1982).
Piccinardi, Antonio (1993), Dizionario di gastronomia, Milan: Rizzoli.
Willan, Anne (1977), Great Cooks and their Recipes: From Taillevent to Escoffier, London: Elm Tree (reissued 1992).
Wright, Clifford A. (1999), A Mediterranean Feast, New York: William Morrow.
