No most recipes are pretty much exactly that modern. The more I read about culinary history the more I learn that.
And this doesnt explain it at all. It may explain how the dish arrived by its name. But multiple dishes with those components are known, by other names and with slight differences to have existed before hand. This might stand as an etymological explanation of why it’s called “carbonara”. But the “coal” derivation isn’t accepted as definitive in that field. From wikipedia:
“The name may also have derived from “Carbonada”, the word for bacon in central Italy’s dialect”
Its not even the only specific claim to have “created” carbonara, with a guy who has no reason to lie, and a potential explanation for the name. There are a bunch of competing claims to carbonara (as there always are).
As to whether Enrico stood to benefit or had any stake in it? I know a guy who swears up and down he invented track lighting and was screwed out of the patent. He’s never tried to pursue that or benefit from it in any way. It’s just a funny story he tells. Near as I can tell, at the time he claims to have invented track lighting. Track lighting already existed. And claiming to have created track lighting is sort of a classic in terms of wacky claims. In fact I think that’s why he’s so insistent about it, not even the only guy I’ve met who makes that particular claim.
You can’t really draw conclusions based on whether some one benefited monetarily from an untrue claim. Some times its about bragging rights. Sometimes it’s a joke. Some people just lie, like they breath. Over meaningless things. And a lot of times people are just wrong. Memory is imperfect, And people can be mistaken.
You just can’t draw conclusions based off people not having a clear monetary motivation. Or assumptions that they’re either lying for a purpose. Or are factually correct. You can be incorrect and not be lying.
That’s actually my biggest problem with this story. In terms of WWII rations, And military rations since. Allied soldiers were not wandering around with lumps of fresh bacon and fresh eggs.
Take a look at the ration schedule for the US. Wiki doesn’t have a simple list for other allied nations, but break downs were similar, though some included more fresh food (like the french notably issuing cheese and wine).
Notice anything? The only ration category that includes fresh food is the “a” ration or garrison ration. This wasn’t issued to the soldier’s individually. In this case the soldier’s ration was a plate of warm food at a pre-set meal time in a fixed place. Prepared by others.
The rations the soldier might be handed individually. The C, K and D. And if broken up to be carried by the men rather than trucks the B. Were entirely composed of shelf stable, canned and preserved foods. Spam and powder eggs, not fresh eggs and bacon. Hardtack not flour. Instant coffee. Cigarettes!
And our infrastructure distributing a lot of this wasn’t great. So even at garrison it was often those b rations or not fresh food. The US famously used powdered eggs everywhere. Even state side. And pretty much still does. A lot of soldiers ended up on those field rations for much longer than intended. And big chunks of the allied army ended up getting issued no food at all for stretches of time.
Doctrine was for units to supplement all that canned food, or the lack of it, by foraging or buying food along the way. So the story is not that Allied soldiers shared their “ration” of fresh bacon and eggs. Though eggs seem to have been a favorite thing to forage for a number of countries.
The story is that Allied soldiers found, stole, bought or bartered for eggs and bacon locally. Usually while they traversed the country side. Scavenge eggs from an abandoned farm. Swap nylons for a chicken. Give some local kids some chocolate and get thanked with some milk.
The occupation was different. Better supply lines and fewer soldiers getting issued cans. As there were fewer soldiers in field situations where it was needed. But your ration in that case was still a plate of warm food at the mess hall. Noone was getting issued baskets of eggs and sides of bacon, fresh food to cook as and where they like on an individual basis. Instead the soldiers had money. And stuff. And they moved around a lot. They’d buy/barter groceries where they were accessible. And bring it back to base near the cities where it was less so.
Less silly Italians didn’t know what bacon and eggs could be used for till the MANLY Americans and Brits turned up. Than those soldiers turned up with ingredients the locals already knew, but couldn’t access. And asked them to prepare them as they were already prepared.
There seems to be some confusion there between depression and wartime civilian rationing. And military rations as a concept.
This is a just so story. Half the dishes in Europe have the exact same claimed origin. GI shows up with x ingredient from his rations. Demands local cook him an american/brit dish. Confused local creates something new. Almost none of them are true.
And those that are (like the Americano) are better documented.
