February 7 is National Fettucine Alfredo Day, but maybe the celebration should continue through the 14th, Valentine’s Day. Legend has it that this popular dish was born out of an act of love by a husband for his pregnant wife.
The story goes that in the early 1900s, in Rome, a man named Alfredo Di Lelio wanted to make a wholesome dish for his wife who was confined to bed rest due to a strenuous pregnancy. He needed something nutritious and energetic. He started adding butter and Parmigiano Reggiano to a simple dish of homemade fettucine creating a creamy sauce…… and the rest is history!
Alfredo’s new culinary creation became highly requested in his Roman restaurant and was quickly discovered by some American tourists from Hollywood. Today this dish goes by the name of Fettucine Alfredo and it has become one of the most popular Italian American pasta orders in the USA.
Ironically though, the dish didn’t catch on with Italians. This might be because all Italians make something similar at home called “pasta in bianco”, literally “white pasta”, to indicate plain pasta without any sauce. You’ll find them preparing this dish whenever their cupboards are bare, or they are in a rush or almost always when they are getting over a stomach virus. Parmigiano Reggiano, being extremely digestible and lactose free, is among one of the first food items they give to recovering patients once they are allowed to eat again. It seems, then, that Alfredo had the right idea and his heart in the right place, trying to feed his beloved back to good health.
So, this Valentine’s Day perform an act of true love and treat your special valentine with an order of Fettucine Alfredo at Villa Mosconi!