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Fettuccine, Fettuccine
alfredo |
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Fettuccine
alfredo topped with prawns. |
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Fettuccine (literally "little ribbons" in Italian) is a type
of pasta popular in Rome. It is a flat thick noodle made of egg and flour wider
than but similar to what's called
tagliatelle elsewhere in Italy. Fettuce is a
wider version of fettuccine whilst fettucelle is thinner. |
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Left: Fresh
fettuccine da casa. |
Fettuccine is traditionally made fresh (either at home or commercially) but
dried versions also exist on the market.
A popular fettuccine dish in North America is fettuccine alfredo.
Fettuccine alfredo is a pasta dish made from fettuccine pasta tossed with
Parmesan cheese and butter. 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 alla Scrofa in Rome. In US cuisine it may
be mixed with other ingredients such as broccoli, parsley, cream, garlic,
shrimp, and chicken.
To make it a single-dish meal, chicken and vegetables are often served on top.
Another variation uses egg in combination with cream, butter and cheese.
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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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Left: Fettuccine
alfredo topped with prawns. |
Fettuccine Alfredo has become
ubiquitous in Italian-American restaurants in the United States. In Italy, the
name "Fettucine Alfredo' is basically unknown although it is widely known as
"Pasta al burro (with butter)" in south of Italy, where it is more usual to
dress pasta with oil, and "Pasta in bianco (in white)" in the north, where it is
more typical to dress pasta with butter. Generally butter quantity is usually
less than in the American version and the cream is rarely used.
