To Cream or Not to Cream your Carbonara?

Question

Ski in Europe and you'll find yourself one side of the Italian border at lunch and the French side for dinner.

Lots of slow burn carbs in pasta means Carbonara is a staple in many bars and restaurants in the regions. Though the recipe is fundamentally different in each country.

Essentially, the debate is whether the sauce is made in the French style with eggs, Parmesan & cream, or the Italian way, simply with eggs & Parmesan: both often with a little garlic.

I made the dish last night and felt guilty for adding cream, though it came out beautifully.

I know in the US you have a strong Italian population, so I was wondering where the debate was there?

Cream or no cream for your Carbonaras?

Ky

Answer

I can't speak for all Americans, but I've never seen carbonara with cream, and you left out the pancetta.

Answer

No cream, ever !!

Answer

speaking from the u.s., as an italian-american, carbonara doesn't have cream. 

adding cream makes it more decadent but it also makes it another dish. it's no longer carbonara.

Answer

American, no Italian ancestors, no cream in my (Hazan's) carbonara :D

Answer

I never understood our American desire to take classics and add the same ingredients, usually cream, making them not only lose their identity but their distinctive natures. So I am in the no cream and please add guanciale, pancetta in a pinch, group, but I also make a special plea for the very liberal use of coarsely ground black pepper.

Answer

No cream and definitely no meat!

Answer

Cream, yolks only and plenty of freshly ground black pepper for my "creamy" carbonara with spaghetti.

Answer

Interesting; 8 no cream: 5 with cream

I'm split on the issue. Probably because I first learnt the recipe, with cream, in my teens, only discovering it shouldn't have it later.

So, I'll come down with team cream. Though I'm clearly open to persuasion.

8:6 no cream winning

Though pig cheeks sounds like the way to fly

Answer

Another non-Italian American living in Philadelphia's little Italy. No cream and yes, guanciale

Answer

I think the raw egg is supposed to give the carbonara a creamy texture without having to use cream. 

...like that was the brilliance of this technique in this dish that made it special and unique among so many pasta recipes 

...so no cream for me bc it was defeat the purpose of using the carbonara technique

Answer

Another no go, as depicted in the OP’s picture, no shell pasta. Carbonara should use long medium width pasta strands.

Answer

Cream or no cream, I just wanna ski in Europe...

Answer

Carbonara is actually Roman, not from the Alps.

I lived in the French Alps for a number of years near the Italian and Swiss border, and never had carbonara made with cream, nor did I ever hear any French people claim it was a French dish (although it is a relatively popular weeknight dinner due to its simplicity and rapid cooking time). It was always made the Italian way, although they often use lardons instead of guanciale since they're more readily available. 
Between fondue, tartiflette, gratin savoyard, and raclette, it's certainly true that area isn't hurting for carbs, cured meat, or cheese!

Answer

Cream, beaten with the eggs. Non-Italian, this is per the recipe in my old Better Homes and Garden cookbook that we've enjoyed for 30+ years.

Answer

I often follow the Michael Ruhlman method and add a tablespoon or two of cream. In my experience it seems to mostly be a sort of cheat to make sure you don’t end up with scrambled egg pasta. When adding so little cream it’s quite different from a typical alfredo in texture and taste. Never knew it was a French thing! I try to use guanciale when available too.

Answer

The Wikipedia page for Carbonara is an interesting read. It ascribes the dish to Rome and notes that the earliest record of the dish is in 1950. That record notes that it was popular amongst American troops in the country. 

Closer to home for me, it also mentions that Elizabeth David offers a recipe in her 1954 book Italian Food. She suggests macaroni or rigatoni but says any pasta is fine. David also notes it being a Roman dish - and no cream

Answer

Hi! I am French and most of my people do carbonara with just cream, not even eggs, which makes Italians cringe a lot! I used to do it with cream too but several trips to Italy really made me change sides on this question, now I'm team eggs only, it's incomparable! With a lot of parmesan of course, a little bit of garlic and a splash of white wine... But if you like it with cream don't feel guilty, you're the chef in your own kitchen ;)

Your post has been published!

To Cream or Not to Cream your Carbonara?

Chowhound Recommends

Discussion Summary

Recipe

Recipe

More from Chowhound

Trending Discussions

Quick Links

Latest Discussions

Cookbook of the Month

Dish of the Month

Weekly Menu Planning

Get fresh food news delivered to your inbox

Chowhound

Policies

Content