Carbonara is the most overrated pasta.
Here me out, I am talking about the AUTHENTIC carbonara using guanciale, pecorino cheese, egg yolks and pepper.
I can make a delicious carborana-style pasta if I use actual bacon and exchange pecorino for gran panadano or parmesan. A little splash of cream also adds a nice touch. Further refine the flavor with some nutmeg. Absolutely delicious.
But the authentic Carbonara just falls flat in terms of flavor. The flavor of pecorino is meh, the flavor of guanciale is kind of meh.
I think most people love carbonara because they have never eaten a truly authentic Carbonara in their whole life. I truly believe this.
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Never thought about it tbh, but I’d agree with you that most people have never tasted authentic carbonara ever and would probably be disappointed.
The secret is to make that flatness have a subtle grandeur, then you’ve got a really special dish.
At which restaurants have you had authentic carbonara you thought wasn’t good?
Same with Alfredo sauce. Adding cream and garlic isn’t original
Now that’s a proper unpopular opinion. Personally, I didn’t give a shit about Carbonara until I had the authentic version, and now im hooked. Pecorino is a really strong cheese, and not everyone’s cup of tea
Finally, an actual unpopular opinion!
And the secret is fresh pasta, makes a world of difference.
Ma vai a cagare va, upvoted.
Ehh I love it but to each their own I guess. And most people who think they can make a better or great version of something usually aren’t doing as well as they think
Perhaps it’s not the dishes fault but the fact everything is highly flavored and processed now so the simple things feel boring?
Pancetta hits this really nice place between bacon and guancale. I’d recommend giving it a try some time. It’s my favorite way to make carbonara.
You’re supposed to use the pecorino romano plus parmisiano reggiani. Also try using quail egg just the yolks.
Also make sure you slice the Granville correctly that’s mad important. Each piece should be half fat half protein. Also maybe go a little unauthentic and use panceta? I know I prefer it.
Uh oh…
I haven’t had it in years because I’m a vegetarian, but my dad’s recipe was somewhere in between and it was sooooo good.
Chopped bacon, sautéed until crispy.
Chopped white onion, cooked in the bacon fat until translucent, soft but not too soft.
Crack and scramble an egg (in a bowl, not on heat). Mix in a bit of grated Parmesan.
When the pasta is cooked and drained, put it back in the pot without rinsing.
Pour egg/cheese mixture over the hot pasta and toss vigorously until pasta is coated and egg is “cooked”. It should form a smooth sauce with the cheese and starch from the pasta.
Add bacon and onions and toss. Serve with extra parmesan and plenty of black pepper.
I think of this as “reasonably authentic carbonara with basic American ingredients” but to be honest I’ve never had the truly authentic kind or the super creamy American kind so I don’t know how it compares to either.
I only know it’s delicious.
Maybe try the real stuff before making sweeping statements.
I’ll tell you right now the best carbonara I’ve ever had has been in Rome and it was pure. Might just not be a flavor profile you like
I can literally feel Lionfield’s anger at this post 😅
Carbonara is the dish I miss most since becoming a vegetarian for health reasons. And I’ve absolutely had the authentic version.
You definitely get an upvote!
At least in the original dish, there are no peas. Idk why tf places keep adding peas to carbonara. It adds a contrast in texture that I don’t like
Any pasta can be made good if you know what you are doing. Literally garlic and olive oil can be a fantastic sauce. So I’m not sure how adding flavourful ingredients like guanciale and parmigiana would taste bad.
Yeah, I mean, food is subjective so whatevs
So funny this pops up , I actually just tried it for the first time at a restaurant last month, and decided to make it at home with the authentic ingredients . I felt it turned out better the the restaurant I went to
That being said , the guanciale had a bit of a strange taste and really wanted to try with bacon or like pork belly . But it was so creamy I wouldn’t add any cream
You aren’t making Carbonara.
Opinion rejected.
Truly unpopular opinion. How dare you, carbonara is one of my favourite dishes
Upvoted for a very unpopular opinion
I do think it’s hilarious how pedantic people get over what is essentially bacon, egg, and cheese pasta. It’s delicious, but treating it as fine dining moreso than decadent bachelor chow is misguided.
Then you have never had a real Carbonara
I actually like both styles.
I kinda have the opposite take. I hated Carbonara until I tried the original with guanciale and NO cream.
Agree it is disappointing and underwhelming. Mostly I find it inedible. I can tolerate it when it is authentic but not a fan and not eating it outside of Italy.
The second you said you added cream, you lost the plot. You definitely don’t make a delicious carbonara if you are adding crème
Nah man it is delicious. I do it my self at home with bacon and Parmesan or Gran Padarno and it is delicious.
I was last year in Italy and ate it at different places authentic and it was also delicious. Would not say one is better than the other.
Had authentic Carbonara in Rome and it was the best meal I’ve ever had.
I had it for the first time in Italy. Bland. Flavorless pasta. Pass.
Most people wouldn’t like authentic carbonara because of the strong flavour profile.
So your opinion doesn’t even make sense.
Saying you make it better with bacon instead of guanciale is the ultimate self-own to your tastebuds.
Ive made decent carbornara with bacon! But like… lol.
This thread turned into r/pasta real quick.
I don’t agree with your particular take on it OP, but I do agree that the traditional composure of carbonara is not the best version of the dish.
No cream, no bacon, but 50/50 mix of pecorino and parmigiano reggiano. Maybe a small clove of garlic if I’m in the mood. Divine.
The dish is too strong and heavy for me personally.
I agree.
But also, carbonara is one of those dishes that is only good when prepared very carefully with ingredients of high quality.
It may just lack salt. Or the ingredients lack punch.
For example pre ground pepper is just not a substitute for toasted and fresh ground. In a dish like carbonara or caccio there’s just nowhere to hide if an ingredient isn’t pulling its own weight.
i’m a firm believer for the longest time now that so many people who claim their favourite cuisine is italian are like it for the world-wide interpretations of italian food and not the actual authentic simple italian dishes from italy 🤷♀️ personally i’ve ate the best pasta dishes outside of italy, and probably 2 of the top3 worst ‘italians’ i ate it in italy..although i gotta say the quality of ingredients where they truly shine..i think italy is a good base for culinary inspo 🔥
have you had this at a high end restaurant, or are you basing it off of crappy domestic pecorino, guanciale, etc
it’s definitely unpopular but I do know a couple people who genuinely prefer the americanized versions of things like italian stuff. I just have never heard anyone say if they have had a legitimate, high end, and authentic version of carbonara
The carbonara I’ve had in Bologna, Ascoli Piceno, Perugia and Rome were all fucking fantastic. I’ve also had fantastic carbonara in Naxos, Greece of all places as well as Ljubljana, Slovenia. Naxos was the only one that really strayed away from the traditional guanciale to a homegrown cured pork that was also delicious.
There’s unpopular opinions and then ignorant ones, yours is the latter. Most of the bastardized shit in the US doesn’t compare, they never get the right texture of the egg/cheese, or even worse they use fucking cream like idiots. Any carbonara with cream is an abomination.
Yeah nothing like liquid smoke, sawdust, and half a PSL to really spice up that spaghetti lol
Jesus. Anyone that mentions cream in a carbonara is fucking insane. Have my up vote
Carbonara is also not my favourite pasta dish, maybe it’s because of the eggs? … Cacio e pepe on the other hand … 😍😍
Making authentic Italian taste good is a very difficult skill.
But once you’ve had it, you notice that the heavy cream and the like is just there to hide the lack of technique.
Making an authentic Alfredo is literally just butter, cheese and pasta water. 3 ingredients. If you’re not good at it, it will just be bland af.
Sounds like you just make bad carbonara
I’d say carbonara is one of those dishes where if it’s executed well it’s amazing and if it’s executed poorly it’s mid at best. I’ve had authentic carbonara in Italy that was mind blowing. I’ve also had authentic carbonara that was terrible. Frankly the same goes for Americanized “carbonara” with cream and other extras – some of it is great and some of it is trash.
My buddy and I walked into a tiny little grocery store in Modena, Italy after a hard day on a bicycle tour. The tiny grandma behind the counter made us a dinner of authentic carbonara that we will never forget. I can’t upvote.
Absolutely loathsome opinion, take my vote
I don’t think you ever ate an authentic carbonara either
Whatever some countries (like the US) call guanciale and pecorino is way different from the fresh stuff they use in Italy
I wouldn’t call it disappointing, but I don’t understand the people that hype it as one of the best pasta dishes in existence.
“A little splash of cream also adds a nice touch”
yeah sure
Angriest upvote of the month, by far. Man, it’s so simple, so tasty, so creamy, so easy to make…
I make it with bacon and parmigiano, because I usually have those in the house, but I fully stand behind making it without cream.
It always tastes amazing considering you can make it in 10 minutes.
Honestly, Pecorino and Guanciale have a strong and clear flavor, much more than bacon and Parmigiano. From the comments you don’t seem to have a real conception of these 2 flavors
>the flavor of guanciale is kind of meh.
what kind of guanciale are you using? most domestically produced guanciale is cured via things like brines or nitrates/nitrites and often contain sugar, while italian guancalie and a minority of domestic guanciale are dry cured using only salt and time, which creates a way more intense aged funky flavor. the ingredient list should be pork, salt, and a few things like pepper, herbs or spices. if it has sugar, nitrates or anything like that, its not providing the flavor that proper carbonara should.
good carbonara doesnt taste like cheese pork or eggs. it tastes like FUNK. aged funk. if your carbonara is not funky, your ingredients are not right. its like you take the funk of aged cheese and the funk of dry cured pork and concentrate it into a creamy sauce. the meaty and cheesy flavors fall to the background and the FUNK is center stage in a way that rarely happens outside of bootsy collins concerts.
theres also a bunch of not so great domestic pecorino – are you getting the actual DOP pecorino?
Maybe you’re just a bad cook
Marvin Tikvah would be very disappointed with this
Ragebait surely
Well, I never ate a “truly authentic” carbonara, but I know that mac’n’cheese is a much worse pasta dish. And it’s also overrated.
real shit, tried authentic carbonara in Italy once, never again. always homebrew this dish
Here’s a really unpopular opinion: All pasta is overrated.
Your taste is disappointing. upvote
I agree that it’s overrated, but real carbonara sure has a strong flavor profile.
if it falls flat then the cook didn’t add enough carbonation
Not just unpopular but also plain wrong, very nice OP
Grana padano, not gran panadano.
This is clearly a bait post….
Gross. Up vote from me.
Wtf an actual unpopular opinion that i agree with.
Yes, when i make my own version that i like better it lacks a few of the original ingredients. Because i think it tastes better that way.
I also think just regular bacon tastes better in there and a milder cheese.
But then again im no gourmand so i guess my opinion on this is somewhat nullified.
“Do you know what’s in that carbonara, Shelly?!”
I wouldn’t say disappointing but would agree with underwhelming. It’s good and delicious but not as good as many say it is. There is better pasta in the world.
“I didn’t like a plate”
It’s a hidden camera.. magic.. TV show.
Having had carbonara in rome where they do it right I can say you’re wrong
Yep, this is an unpopular opinion. In spite of your supposed knowledge of AUTHENTIC carbonara, you either haven’t actually had the real deal or there is something seriously wrong with your taste buds. Best carbonara I ever had was from a simple Osteria in Rome. I still think about it.
That’s cause you definitely are not making it right. Look up Luciano’s method from Rome
I agree. Went to Italy recently and was looking forward to it. Couldn’t even finish my meal.
Made well, it’s fantastic.
I’ve had good, I’ve had incredible.
It’s all about the quality of the ingredients and the delivery.
But at the end of the day, if that’s the way you like it, then good for you.
Also, personally, I think Pecorino is good but the flavour is not always what I’m wanting.
This is my kind of unpopular opinion. You’re wrong and should feel bad /s
It’s my favorite dish lol
You know what, totally agree
using cream in carbonara u should be ashamed
You’ve had a carbonara with poor quality ingredients then. It’s great done properly
If you want to get really sacrilegious, this NY Times recipe (gift link!) includes tomato and may be my favorite:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021856-smoky-tomato-carbonara?unlocked_article_code=1.HE8.54P0.jKJADJqqLsL2&smid=share-url
I could get behind this if the ingredients were regular bacon, parmasean and some cream, but this opinion is truly terrible. Well done?
Carbanera with cream is definitely objectively better. I hate how much Italians gatekeep their recipes. These roman recipes were made originally specifically because of scarcity and lack of ingredients on hand. No need to stick to tradition if it’s worse.
I feel like I know more people who like carbonara from some chain boil in bag place than a real carbonara, I think you’re reasoning is bogus, but I think your opinion is not unpopular
Carbonara doesn’t have enough ingredients to change anything and still be able to call it a carbonara. Your “improved” version is yet another example of someone trying to improve in an Italian dish when the entire point of Italian cuisine is simplicity.
Must be american
I’m with you on the Parmigiano and the nutmeg. I also like to use pancetta instead of guanciale. And I bastardize it pretty bad by cooking the pancetts with diced onion and adding roughly chopped parsley at the end.
But fuck no on the cream.
That said, my carbonara UO is probably even more unhinged: I don’t even want a creamy sauce. In fact, I don’t even want there to really be sauce. I want a peppery, Parmigiano-y, pancetta-y, and above all eggy semisolid coating on my pasta.
Send me to jail, and I’ll understand. But I’m right.
upvoted. complete madness.
Go to a hole in the wall restaurant in Rome and you’ll change your mind
‘Actual bacon’ as opposed to cured pig cheek… 😂
This is like arguing McDonald’s is better than a Michelin starred restaurant.
To some people, yes.
You have to be so careful not to scramble the eggs it gets cold too fast. Also congeals almost immediately.
Your version is just Alfredo with bacon. Just say you like that thing better than the other thing.
As a Sicilian, this hurts me deeply.
But I will say I prefer using parmesan instead of pecorino.
Ugh it tastes like pasta coated with hot dog water 🤢🤮
“Here me out”
Yeah nah
Lived in Italy for 2 years and it was the best pasta dish I had during that time. So definitely unpopular!
I got eviscerated for saying this on a pasta sub. I like peas and bacon
You’re wrong. Objectively. I have no idea as the popularity of your misconception.
This is why Rome fell tbh
Then don’t eat it , simple really.
I’m grabbing a pitchfork.
Booooooooo
French style carbonara is similar to what you described, it’s really good and that’s how I cook it.
But to call real carbonara underwhelming is just insulting to food.
I’ve had and have made authentic carbonara and it’s delicious as hell. Maybe your carbonara just sucks?
You must be one of those people who prefer Domino’s over authentic thin crust Italian pizza
You took the thought out of my mind and posted it here 😂 I had “authentic” carbonara in Italy two weeks ago and was so disappointed. Needs cream!
Fucking clogged artery heart attack of a dish
Nah you want a real unpopular opinion?
All pasta dishes are disappointing and underwhelming. A carb, a cheese, and salt/pepper is a base. Not a dish.
NO
Pasta is disgusting, and Italian food is vile
My dad gets this chicken carbonara with peas and bacon in it and it smells absolutely disgusting. I wish just once I could get actual fresh ingredients and make him the actual thing not whatever the fuck he’s been eating. It almost makes me lose my appetite smelling it.
To be fair to him, I know he doesn’t like the smell of the fajitas and enchiladas I get. Which I would also like to make fresh.
See, OP, you made the cardinal sin of daring to question Italian cuisine, and now made the silly people mad. I agree.
I personally like to add lots of garlic, coriander seeds and a bit of chilli to my carbonara. Works very nicely, and life’s too short to live my culinary rules, when all the dishes people get hard for started cause poverty and limited resources.
That’s most pasta dishes pal.
Reading this makes me lose hope for mankind altogether. sighs in Italian
I like pecorino. Alfredo is the real overrated pasta. It’s meant to be a light sauce and mild flavor made for a woman with stomach issues. It’s literal child food. Beige and everything.
Lmao… terrible opinion. Take my upvote.
On behalf of the city of Rome, you are banned from entering. Upvoted
Putting in a splash of cream sounds like a food crime to me?! Mixing Parmigiano and Peccorino is something everyone should try. Mix egg yolk and cheese to achieve a perfectly creamy consistency for the carbonara.
Cool a certain food isn’t your cup of tea. Real interesting opinion
This is not an unpopular opinion, it’s obviously rage bait, nobody in the world can ever say random bacon is better than guanciale.