00:00There are barely more than two ingredients, but that's what makes it a challenge.
00:04The classic Roman pasta dish Caccio e Pepe.
00:07A humble dish, yet rich and refined.
00:10It's simple, but it's delicious, if you know how to make it.
00:13It's the best dish there is, because no one else knows how to make it.
00:17I tried to cook it, but it didn't turn out right.
00:21Welcome to Rome, the capital of Italy.
00:24This is Omodio Maggio, the head chef at Da Cesare, a family-style restaurant with a long tradition.
00:31For more than a hundred years, Roman specialties have been served here, particularly Caccio e Pepe.
00:38Omodio shows us how to make it properly.
00:41As you can see, I'm making Caccio e Pepe.
00:44All you need is pasta, oil, grated pecorino and freshly ground black pepper.
00:50Omodio starts with the cheese paste.
00:54Pecorino, 50 grams.
00:57A bit more.
00:59For one portion of pasta, 50 grams.
01:02Pepe.
01:03Pepper.
01:05Water.
01:10This paste, if you don't mix it, it turns into a dry bowl.
01:14See, there's no water.
01:17Asciutto, vedi, non c'è acqua.
01:22We need a pan, oil, pepper, water.
01:33What about butter?
01:34No butter.
01:35No butter.
01:36No, because it's fat.
01:38So better not, or you'll get in trouble with Italian chefs.
01:41Just ask the BBC.
01:43Butter does not belong in Caccio e Pepe.
01:47Back to the pan, where the black pepper is being roasted.
01:50Next, the pasta.
01:52This is senatore capelli.
01:54It's a type of flour.
01:57It's a specific kind of yellow flour that contains starch.
02:02When you cook the pasta, the water releases starch.
02:06If you're skilled enough to cook it al dente, you can finish cooking the remaining starch in the pan, and
02:13the pasta will turn out perfectly.
02:16Fresh pasta.
02:18For one serving, 130 grams.
02:20Ah, a bit more.
02:22And in it goes.
02:26The starch ensures that the pasta and sauce bind well.
02:30Traditionally, you use tonarelli from Rome, a type of square-cut spaghetti, but other varieties work too.
02:36Fresh pasta is ideal and cooks quickly.
02:40Now I drain it, put it in a pan, and stir it, then toss it with pecorino cheese.
02:46I don't add any water.
02:50Caccio is a word for cheese.
02:52Pecorino is used for this dish.
02:55It's another kind of cheese that's very salty, made from sheep's milk.
03:02You can also make it with parmesan, but then it's not really Caccio e Pepe anymore.
03:07Now it's time to stir, until it's creamy.
03:11This is the trickiest part.
03:12It requires the right amount, the right temperature, and a delicate touch.
03:16It looks like an emulsion.
03:19Look.
03:23When you put it in the pan, it doesn't release any oil.
03:26See, it's thick and creamy.
03:31And if you don't succeed, Amodillo says just keep trying.
03:35Practice makes perfect.
03:38Top it with more grated cheese, and this very cheesy peppery pasta is ready in just five minutes.
03:45The ancient Romans knew this quick and easy dish, which some say is around 2,000 years old.
03:52Restaurant owner Alessandro Aragoni knows the practical origins of the dish.
03:56Caccio e Pepe is a dish that has its origins in nomadic herding.
04:01In other words, in the grazing of sheep, and specifically, ewes.
04:07These ewes were farmed to make Pecorino, the traditional local cheese.
04:11So they basically carried the cheese with them.
04:15And then there's the pepper, a strong contrast to the cheese.
04:19It also served as a temperature trigger, a mechanism that activated the body's heat receptors.
04:25Because, after all, it could get very cold at times, especially in the mountains.
04:31Even back then, with just a few ingredients, it was an affordable dish.
04:35And it still is today.
04:37Chef Amodillo prepares about eight kilograms of it each day for guests in Rome.
04:42This dish has a loyal following.
04:45I like the cheese.
04:47This is one of my favorite dishes, actually.
04:50Typical Roman dishes.
04:51It's very simple in the ingredients, but it's very difficult in the procedure.
04:56I tried making it, but it didn't turn out.
04:58It's not easy to get the cream just right.
05:02I like very much Cacio e Pepe.
05:04The taste, the cheese, and the consistence.
05:08As you can see, I finished all, so I like it very much, actually.
05:12It seems as though it's worth traveling to Rome just for this dish.
05:16Come to Rome and try Cacio e Pepe.
05:19Would you like to try this classic Roman specialty?
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