Alfredo, and Who on Earth Was He?

If you ask for pasta with Alfredo sauce at afull name, was an inspired cook who proposed this
restaurant in Italy all you get from your waiter is anew exciting dish in the restaurant he opened in
stare. Why is one of the most famous "ItalianRome in 1914. It was a high gourmet preparation in
sauces" for pasta unknown in its country of origin?the Roman tradition of simplicity. Apparently he
The answer is simple: because in Italy an Alfredocreated his Fettuccine all'Alfredo when his wife lost
"sauce" doesn't exist.her appetite during her pregnancy. To bring back her
Yes, Italians make a dish of pasta, fettuccine dressedappetite he prepared for her a nutritious dish of egg
with nothing else than good aged parmigiano cheesefettuccine with parmigiano cheese and butter. That
and a lot of butter, but is such a simple preparationprobably gave him the idea for his "triple butter"
that Italians don't even consider it a "recipe".fettuccine.
Waverly Root in his famous book "The Food of Italy"He was an extravagant character who used to
(New York, 1971) wrote: "FETTUCCINE AL BURRO ispersonally serve his paper-thin fettuccine with golden
associated in every tourist's mind with Rome, possiblyforks, apparently donated to him by Mary Pickford
because the original Alfredo succeeded in making itsand Douglas Fairbanks, the famous silent movie stars.
serving a spectacle reminiscent of grand opera. It isIn the fifties and sixties, Hollywood discovered Rome.
the same ribbon shaped egg pasta tat is calledPaparazzi photographers took photos of actors such
tagliatelle in Bologna; but the al burro preparation isas Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Richard Burton, Liz
very Roman indeed in its rich simplicity. Nothing isTaylor, or Sophia Loren in front of a plate of
added to the pasta except grated cheese and butterFettuccine all'Alfredo, making his restaurant famous all
- lots of butter. The recipe calls for doppio burro,around the world. The restaurant is now run buy his
double butter, which gives it a golden color."grandson, and the golden forks are still used to serve
Who was Alfredo then? Alfredo di Lelio, this was histhis dish for special occasions.