Amatriciana sauce

Amatriciana sauce, known in Italian asamatriciana(matricianainRomanesco dialect),is asaucemade with tomatoes,guanciale(cured pork cheek),pecorino romanocheese, black pepper,extra virgin olive oil, dry white wine, and salt. Originating in thecomune(municipality) ofAmatrice(in the mountainous province of Rieti of the Lazio region), the amatriciana is one of the best known pasta sauces in present-dayRomanandItaliancuisine. The Italian government has named it aprodotto agroalimentare tradizionale(PAT) of Lazio, andamatriciana tradizionaleis registered as atraditional speciality guaranteed(TSG) in the EU and the UK.
Amatriciana derives from a dish calledpasta alla gricia.The origin of the wordgriciais unclear. Inpapal Rome, thegriciwere sellers of common edible foods,who got this name because many of them came fromValtellina, at that time a possession of theSwisscanton ofGrigioni.According to another hypothesis, it is named after thefrazione(hamlet) of Grisciano, in thecomune(municipality) ofAccumoli, nearAmatrice. The sauce—nowadays named alsoamatriciana bianca—was, and still is, prepared with guanciale (cured pork cheek) and gratedpecorino romano.At some point, a little olive oil was added to the recipe. In the 1960s, amatriciana sauce was still prepared in this way in Amatrice itself.
The invention of the first tomato sauces (and theprobably earliest datefor the introduction of tomato in thegricia, creating amatriciana) dates to the late 18th century. Tomatoes were introduced to Europe through theColumbian Exchangevia Spain.The first written record of pasta with tomato sauce can be found in the 1790 cookbookL'Apicio Modernoby Roman chefFrancesco Leonardi.
The amatriciana recipe became increasingly famous inRomeover the 19th and early 20th centuries, due to the centuries-old connectionbetween Rome and Amatrice.The recipe was well received and rapidly went on to become a classic ofRoman cuisine, although it originated elsewhere. The name of the dish in theRomanesco dialecteventually becamematricianadue to theapheresistypical of this dialect.
While tomato-lessgriciais still prepared in central Italy, it is the tomato-enriched amatriciana that is better known throughout Italy and elsewhere. While in Amatrice the dish is prepared withspaghetti,bucatiniis now most commonly used in Rome.Other types of dry pasta (particularlyrigatoni) are also used.
The recipe is known in several variants depending, among other things, on the availability of ingredients. In Amatrice, use of guanciale and tomato is typical and onion is not favoured,although it is shown in the classical handbooks of Roman cuisine.The former mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi, went so far as to say, "Garlic in amatriciana, never. And no onion, either, whatever some may say."When the celebrity chefCarlo Craccostated that an unpeeled clove of garlic could be sautéd with the other ingredients and removed before serving, calling it his "secret ingredient",the municipal government of Amatrice retorted on its official website that "the only ingredients in a true amatriciana sauce are guanciale, pecorino, white wine, San Marzano tomatoes, black pepper andpeperoncino".For frying, olive oil is most commonly used, butstrutto(lard) is used as well.For cheese eitherpecorino romanoor Amatrice'specorino(from theSibillini MountainsorMonti della Lagaareas) can be used.