A recipe for cacio e pepe, a dish made up of pasta, black pepper, and pecorino cheese, was posted on the Good Food website, a popular place for Britons to discover new recipes.
A row over pasta has escalated into a minor international diplomatic spat after a British website published a recipe for a beloved Italian dish. A recipe for cacio e pepe, a traditional dish comprising pasta, black pepper, and pecorino cheese, appeared on the Good Food website, sparking a dispute with Italy.
The website is a go-to destination for Britons seeking fresh recipes and was previously under BBC ownership.
Alongside suggesting the authentic core ingredients, the site also advised home cooks to incorporate butter and parmesan while preparing the dish. The revelation caused outrage in Rome.
In fact, the backlash was so severe that the British embassy received an irate letter from a section of the restaurant association Fiepet-Confesercenti, sparking the international row, reports the Express.
The episode occurs less than a year after Britain and Italy pledged “long and warm relations…full of promise and opportunity” following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Fiepet-Confesercenti President Claudio Pica revealed they were “astonished” to discover the recipe on Good Food’s platform and demanded its correction.
Furthermore, Mr Pica told the Times that the move by Immediate Media was so outrageous it was comparable to Italians taking whisky and mixing it with a popular fizzy drink of their choosing.
He told the publication: “That’s like us coming to Britain and demanding the finest double malt whisky mixed with lemonade. We demand the recipe, as published, is changed at once.”
While Good Food was previously owned by the BBC, the corporation no longer holds ownership after selling it to Immediate Media in 2018. Additionally, the BBC branding was dropped in April 2024.
What consequences might follow should the alterations not be implemented remains unclear, but this latest culinary controversy emerges after Heinz chose to market their take on spaghetti carbonara in a tin.
This marks not the first occasion of an international dispute between Britain and another allied nation. In January 2024, tensions nearly erupted between the UK and the USA following an American academic’s assertion that salt should be added to tea.
The recommendation came from Professor Michell Francl at Bryn Mawr College who made the declaration based on her examination of historical documents and research spanning over 1,000 years.
Thankfully, during the then Biden presidency, the UK and USA found common ground in their shared conviction that salt shouldn’t feature in a modern cup of tea, with the US Embassy in London issuing a response.
On X (formerly Twitter), they posted: “Tea is the elixir of camaraderie, a sacred bond that unites our nations, we cannot stand idly by as such an outrageous proposal threatens the very foundation of our Special Relationship.
“We want to ensure the good people of the UK that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy. And never will be.
“Let us unite in our steeped solidarity and show the world that when it comes to tea, we stand as one. The US Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way – by microwaving it.”
It remains unclear whether this policy has been maintained under the Trump administration.