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National Carbonara Day

Food · April 6

A day for carbonara, the Roman pasta dish of eggs, cheese, cured pork and black pepper, and for learning to make its creamy sauce at home.

National Carbonara Day falls on Tuesday, April 6, 2027. That is 161 days away.

Carbonara is a pasta dish from Rome built on a handful of ingredients: eggs, hard grating cheese, cured pork and plenty of black pepper. There is usually no cream. The silky sauce comes from eggs and cheese meeting hot pasta and a splash of starchy cooking water.

The traditional pork is guanciale, cured pork cheek, though pancetta and bacon turn up in many American kitchens. The cheese is often Pecorino Romano, sometimes mixed with Parmigiano Reggiano. Spaghetti is the familiar shape, but rigatoni and other short tubes hold the sauce well too.

The whole trick is temperature. Toss the eggs with pasta that is too hot and they scramble. Keep the pan off the heat, stir quickly and add pasta water a little at a time, and the mixture turns glossy and clings to every strand. Home cooks tend to remember their first carbonara that worked, and also the one that became breakfast.

Marking the day usually means cooking a pot at home or ordering it at a neighborhood Italian restaurant. It comes together in about the time it takes to boil the pasta, so it suits a weeknight. Some people treat it as a chance to compare versions, guanciale against bacon or one cheese against two.

The pepper deserves a fresh grind. Cracked just before serving, it gives the dish its sharp, warm finish.

Ways to celebrate

• Try making carbonara at home with pasta water instead of cream.
• Compare guanciale, pancetta and bacon in small side-by-side batches.
• Grind black pepper fresh over a bowl just before eating.
• Share your carbonara method with a friend who has never tried it.
• Order carbonara at a local Italian restaurant.

Dates

All national days on April 6

Also on April 6

• National Caramel Popcorn Day
• National Siamese Cat Day
• New Beer's Eve
• National Twinkie Day
• Fresh Tomato Day
• National Student-Athlete Day

Categories: Food days