Fettuccine Alfredo

Alfredo and his story…

The history of Fettuccine Alfredo takes us back to 1907, when Alfredo di Lelio noticed that his wife, who had just given birth to their son, was not eating and was feeling very weak. So he decided to prepare her a pasta dish to provide her with the nourishment she needed to feel better. He made a plate of fettuccine with butter, but decided to triple the amount of butter that is usually put on pasta, and also added some Parmigiano Reggiano.

These, little did he know, were the beautiful Fettuccine Alfredo in its original form. So, let's note here what the ingredients of the original dish were: butter, fettuccine (of course!), and Parmigiano Reggiano… and lastly, a touch of that pasta water to thicken the sauce. This dish became extremely popular, so much so that in 1914 Alfredo opened his own restaurant where, of course, he served Fettuccine Alfredo.

This restaurant has become very popular, along with the dish. In fact, American celebrities and actors came to visit his restaurant just to try the famous pasta. In particular, Douglas Fairbanks loved pasta so much that, when he returned home, he asked his chefs to recreate it... to avoid traveling all the way to Italy for the dish, of course! Eventually, Fettuccine Alfredo arrived in the United States, where, obviously, it was very successful.