| Cacio e pepe | |
| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Lazio |
| Course: | Italian: [[Italian meal structure#Formal meal structure|Primo]] (Italian pasta course) |
| Main Ingredient: | Italian: [[Spaghetti alla chitarra|Tonnarelli]] or spaghetti, Italian: [[pecorino romano]], black pepper |
Cacio e pepe (pronounced as /it/) is a pasta dish typical of the Lazio region of Italy.[1] [2] Italian: [[wikt:cacio#Italian|Cacio]] e [[wikt:pepe#Italian|pepe]] means 'cheese and pepper' in several central Italian dialects. The dish contains grated Italian: [[pecorino romano]] and black pepper with tonnarelli[3] or spaghetti.[2] The origins are believed to be that "Shepherds from the pastoral communities of Lazio, Abruzzo, Tuscany and Umbria created cacio e pepe in the 18th or 19th century".[4] All the ingredients keep well for a long time, which made the dish practical for shepherds without fixed abode. Rough-surfaced pasta is recommended to make the sauce adhere well.
The pasta is prepared in boiling salted water as usual; it is then poured into the grated pecorino mixed with black pepper, with a little of the hot, starchy, cooking water. The heat melts the cheese, and the starches in the water help bind the pepper and cheese to the pasta.[5]