How Spaghetti Carbonara Became Italian Again - Did Spaghetti alla Carbonara Exist Before WWII? A 1939 Clue Stirs the Pot

The true origins of spaghetti alla carbonara remain a heated debate among food historians. Some claim the dish has deep Italian roots, while others argue it was shaped by American influence. A recently rediscovered 1939 Dutch newspaper article has now added fresh complexity to the story.

For years, many believed spaghetti alla carbonara emerged after World War II, when US soldiers in Italy combined eggs and bacon with pasta. Cultural historian Alberto Grandi even called it 'clearly an American dish'. Yet, this theory was challenged by a 1939 article in De Koerier, where Dutch correspondent Norah Koch Berkhuijsen described eating spaghetti alla carbonara in Rome—long before the war's end.

The discovery complicates the timeline, but Italian food experts remain sceptical. Grandi points out that key ingredients like guanciale (cured pork cheek) were scarce in pre-war Italy, and no cookbooks from that era mention the dish. The first known written recipe didn't appear until 1952—in an American publication—followed by Italy's own version in 1954.

In Rome today, the dish is traditionally made without cream and often served with mezze maniche, a short, tubular pasta, rather than spaghetti. The old myth that 19th-century charcoal workers (carbonari) ate a similar meal has long been debunked. Still, the lack of early records leaves the dish's true beginnings unclear.

The 1939 article suggests spaghetti alla carbonara may be older than assumed, but historians still question whether it existed in its modern form. Without earlier recipes or evidence of widespread preparation, the debate continues. For now, the dish remains a symbol of both Italian tradition and transatlantic culinary exchange.