Fettuccine alfredo topped with shrimp.

Fettuccine alfredo is a pasta dish made from fettuccine pasta, Parmesan cheese, butter, and heavy cream. It is the American name for the famous Roman dish, Fettuccine al burro (fettuccine with butter) or al burro e panna (with butter and cream); the name 'Alfredo' is not widely used in Italy.^[1] In American cuisine, it is often mixed with other ingredients such as parsley, garlic, shrimp and chicken. Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are small, swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... == Fettuccine (literally little ribbons in Italian) is a type of pasta. ... Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Parmigiano_Reggiano. ... Butter is commonly sold in sticks (pictured) or blocks, and frequently served with the use of a butter knife. ... Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of raw milk before homogenization. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... Species Percentages are relative to US RDI values for adults. ... Binomial name Allium sativum L. Garlic (Allium sativum) is a perennial plant in the family Alliaceae and genus Allium, closely related to the onion, shallot, and leek. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are small, swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Fettuccine alfredo is simply fresh fettuccine pasta tossed with cheese, butter, and sometimes cream. As the cheese melts, it thickens the liquids to form a smooth and rich coating on the pasta.

History

Pasta tossed with cheese and butter or cream have a long history both in Italy and abroad.^[2]

Fettucine al burro was popularized among American tourists in Rome by the restauranteur Alfredo di Lelio:

Fettuccine al burro is associated in every tourist's mind with Rome, possibly because the original Alfredo succeeded in making its serving a spectacle reminiscent of grand opera.^[3]

The restaurant's story is that the dish was invented by di Lelio at his restaurant Alfredo alla Scrofa in 1914 as a variation of fettuccine al burro. When butter was added both before and after fettuccine was put in the serving bowl, the butter was known as doppio burro (double butter). Di Lelio's original contribution was to double the amount of butter in the bowl before the fettuccine would be poured in, thus a triplo burro (triple butter) effect instead of double. Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

As the story goes, Fettuccine Alfredo became extremely popular, and di Lelio's restaurant attracted many celebrities. Two of these were Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, who fell in love with the dish while on their honeymoon in 1927, and gave him a golden fork to serve it. On their return to the United States they asked for the same recipe, and thus introduced it to the New World. It was also no doubt popularized by the opening of branches of the original Alfredo's in New York and the EPCOT Center in Orlando. Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was an Oscar-winning Canadian-born motion picture star and co-founder of United Artists, known as Americas Sweetheart, Little Mary and the girl with the golden curls. ... Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Fairbanks (May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer, who became noted for his swashbuckling roles in silent movies such as The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and The Black... A honeymoon is the traditional trip taken by newlyweds to celebrate their marriage. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... NY redirects here. ... Epcot is the second theme park built at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. ... Nickname: The City Beautiful, O-Town, 407 Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ...

Despite the story, references to Fettuccine alfredo in American books and newspapers are sparse until about 1980.^[4] Fettuccine Alfredo has now become ubiquitous in Italian-American restaurants in the United States, though in Italy, it is mostly served to American tourists.

Variations

There are many modifications to the basic Fettuccine Alfredo which are used to lower the cost (and quality). Cheaper cheeses, such as U.S.-made imitation Parmesan cheese, are often used; the cheese is sometimes mixed with flour as a thickener. Occasionally other cheeses, such as Asiago and Romano may be added to alter the flavor. There even exists packaged Alfredo sauce separate from the finished dish. Asiago cheese is a hard aromatic Italian cheese with a crumbly texture, whose flavor is reminiscent of sharp Cheddar and Parmesan. ... Romano cheese is a type of cheese that is known for being very hard, salty and sharp. ...

In order to make it a single-dish meal, chicken and vegetables are often served on top. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Vegetables in a market Venn diagram representing the relationship between (botanical) fruits and vegetables. ...

References

1. ^ Vincenzo Buonassisi, Il Nuovo Codice della Pasta, Rizzoli, 1985. ISBN 88-17-11038-8. This compendium of 1347 pasta recipes never uses the name 'alfredo', nor do other well-known Italian cookbooks such as Ada Boni's.
2. ^ See, for example, the citations in [1].
3. ^ Waverly Root, The Food of Italy, Random House, 1971, p. 86. ISBN 0-394-72429-1.
4. ^ Checked using Google Book search and Google News search, December, 2006

• "Alfredo, and who on earth was he?" by Anna Maria Volpi

External link

• Alfredo L'Originale di Roma