How Spaghetti Carbonara Became Italian Again - 1939 Article Challenges Carbonara's Postwar Origins in Italy

A 1939 Dutch newspaper article has reignited the debate over the true origins of spaghetti alla carbonara. The discovery challenges the long-held belief that the dish emerged only after World War II—or even that it was an American invention. Historians and food experts remain divided over whether the recipe existed in Italy before the war.

The find comes from a column in De Koerier, where a Rome correspondent described the dish being served in Trastevere. Italian media have since reacted with surprise, questioning the dish's supposed foreign roots.

The article, titled 'Menschen en Dingen van Rome' (People and Things of Rome), was written by Norah Koch Berkhuijsen, the newspaper's Rome correspondent from 1933 to 1948. Published on August 23, 1939, it mentioned spaghetti alla carbonara—referred to as Spaghetti nach Köhlerart—as a local speciality in Trastevere. The column was later uncovered by researcher Janneke Vreugdenhil, prompting Italian outlets like Gambero Rosso and La Repubblica to rethink the dish's timeline.

For years, many assumed carbonara was either a postwar creation or an American adaptation. The earliest known printed recipe appeared in a 1952 U.S. publication, leading cultural historian Alberto Grandi to argue that the dish was 'clearly an American invention'. Italy's first documented version didn't surface until 1954, further fuelling doubts about its prewar existence.

Yet not everyone is convinced by the 1939 reference. Some Italians see it as proof that carbonara predates the war, while sceptics question whether the dish described matches today's version. The myth that 19th-century charcoal workers (carbonari) ate a similar meal has long been debunked. Meanwhile, in Rome, the dish is often served with mezze maniche—short, wide tubular pasta—rather than traditional spaghetti. The use of cream, a contentious addition, remains widely discouraged by purists.

Despite the ongoing debate, the dish's popularity in Italian cuisine remains undiminished. Its cultural significance endures, regardless of where or when it first appeared.

The 1939 article provides the earliest known mention of spaghetti alla carbonara in print, but the question of its origins is far from settled. Italian media have welcomed the discovery as potential evidence against American claims, yet disagreements persist. What remains clear is the dish's enduring place in Roman and Italian food traditions—no matter its true beginnings.