History of fettuccine

Fettuccine is also known as Gnocche pelose, lane, lane pelose, ramicce, and sagne. In Umbria, thick fettuccine are called macchecroni; in Abruzzo, tajarelloni; in the Marche, strenghe; and in Sicily, lasagne.

The art of cutting sheets of lasagne into finer noodles was discovered in the 15th century. Maestro Martino, author and the world’s first celebrity chef wrote in his Libro de arte coquinaria in 1456 that fettuccine should be cut to the width of the finger.

Fettuccine carbonara

The name literally ‘little ribbons’. It is central Italian equivalent of the northern Italian tagliatelle, its name in Italian first recorded in 1897 means ‘little slices, little ribbon’. It was made by nuns in Roman convents and sent to new mothers in the belief they would aid the production of milk.
History of fettuccine

Fettuccine Alfredo

In the 1914, a Roman restaurateur named Alfredo di Lelio is credited with the invention of Fettuccine Alfredo.

He came with recipe in order to tempt his pregnant wife who had become weak from loss of appetite.

Di Lelio determined to get her to eat, transformed his fettuccine al-burro – a homely preparation of pasta tossed with butter and parmesan – by significant increasing the amount of butter he used.

The result was a more lavish dish, which neither his wife nor his customers could resist.

Di Lelio’s signature dish was prepared tableside; as the heat from the noodles melted the butter, the smiling and mustachioed di Lelio lifted and twirled the fettuccine with a gold fork and spoon, pausing to sprinkle in copious amount of grated cheese.

While the original consisted simply of butter and cheese, ‘Alfredo’ has become ubiquitous term that covers everything from a rich sauce to additions of vegetables, chicken, and seafood.

The dish and its creator became famous in Rome, but they were unknown outside of Italy until 1920, when George Rector an American restsaurant owner, writer and bon vivant, sang their praises in his Saturday Evening Post column

Fettuccini Alfredo achieved world fame in 1920 when Hollywood legends Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford dined at his restaurant while honeymoon in Rome, they were so pleased with the dish that they presented Alfredo with a gold plated fork and spoon.

In 1966, food packagers jumped on the trend the Pennsylvania Dutch noodle company started marketing fettuccini with a recipe from Alfredo’s sauce.
Fettuccine Alfredo