When in Rome

For anyone considering tweaking pasta alla carbonara-a work of art as fine as the Trevi Fountain-the answer is always: non c'è modo! Or is it, asks Tom Parker Bowles

- Tom Parker Bowles

PASTA alla carbonara is from Rome,' growls Andreas Viestad in his delightful 2023 book, Dinner in Rome: A History of the World in One Meal, 'and it should contain guanciale, eggs, pasta and pecorino. If you're lacking any of this,' he goes on, 'it is not pasta alla carbonara. If you've added something, it is not pasta alla carbonara either.' Viestad may be a Norwegian by birth, but when it comes to this particular plate of pasta, he's Roman to his very core.

Because this is one regional Italian classic that manages to both soothe and inflame. Made properly, it's comfort food clad in Brioni blouson, a magical emulsion of egg yolk, pasta water and pecorino clinging concupiscently to each glossy strand of pasta. Any excess of Lucullan lavishness is tamed and tempered by crisp, salty nuggets of cured pig jowl and a healthy blast of black pepper. You don't want too much of it either, as carbonara is as rich as Crassus and should always leave you begging for just one bite more.