Frequent any red sauce joint in the United States and you’re likely to see a very white sauce listed on the menu: fettuccine alfredo, often paired with chicken and called, naturally, chicken alfredo. The dish arrives, piled high with tangles of fettuccine noodles coated in a cream-based sauce. It’s rich and tastes a lot like mac ‘n’ cheese, which may be why picky kids all over the country like it. But despite Italians who might turn up their nose at the dish, calling it simply un-Italian, fettuccine alfredo has a centuries-long history that began in Rome.
Luca Cesari, author of The Discovery of Pasta: A History in Ten Dishes, says that Alfredo di Lelio, a restaurant owner in Rome, made his wife Ines, who was having a hard time recovering from giving birth, a simple dish of fresh pasta with butter and parmesan cheese in 1908. The key was to use more butter than normal in a fettuccine al burro (fettuccine with butter). Alfredo first served it at his restaurant, where he tossed the ribbon-like noodles with a big chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese cut from the middle of the wheel and a lot of butter.
According to Cesari, luck shone on Alfredo’s pasta, which he called fettuccine all’Alfredo. The dish received praise in Sinclair Lewis’s 1922 novel Babbitt, was the recipient of a glowing restaurant review in 1927 by well-known food expert and radio presenter George Rector (who published the recipe), and that same year, Hollywood stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks gifted Alfredo with a golden fork and spoon engraved with the words “To Alfredo the King of Pasta.” Apparently, they’d eaten at Alfredo’s on their honeymoon in 1922 and fallen in love with the eponymous sauce. The extravagant gift garnered international press coverage, bringing Alfredo’s restaurant on Via della Scrofa and his pasta fame. During World War II, Alfredo sold his restaurant, eventually opening a new spot called Il Vero Alfredo—”the real Alfredo”—after the war ended. The name helped differentiate it from the original restaurant, where the owners fought to be known for the pasta.
Despite the international fame and its eventual copycats, fettuccine all’Alfredo never took off beyond Rome, perhaps contributing to its sense as an inauthentic dish in the eyes of many Italians. Cesari posits that this is perhaps because the method was so closely with its inventor (unlike the more anonymous styles of pasta like cacio e pepe, amatriciana, or carbonara). So, too, could the fact that the pasta featured parmesan (uncommon in Roman sauces) rather than pecorino, or that butter on noodles was seen as “hospital fare.”
Whatever the case, the world-renowned butter and parmesan dish never caught on in Italy, but did morph into a cream-based sauce that dominated in the United States. While the authentic rendition of Alfredo’s recipe was popular at first, eventually a sauce enriched with cream became standard. Eventually, the sauce was sold in jars and popularized by Olive Garden, where the now ubiquitous add-ins of shrimp and chicken were added. So, though they share a namesake, there is a long distance between the butter and parmesan sauce that slicked fresh, homemade noodles and a pile of mass-produced pasta tossed with a jar of creamy sauce and some chicken. That doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy Chicken Alfredo, though. Done right, with high-quality ingredients, the dish is a sumptuous treat, perfect for winter nights.
Chicken Alfredo has cemented itself as a beloved Italian-American classic, but its origins and evolution are rooted in the storied culinary traditions of Italy. This creamy, comforting pasta dish has a fascinating history spanning over a century of transatlantic cultural exchange.
The Birth of Fettuccine Alfredo in Italy
Fettuccine alfredo is the base dish for chicken alfredo. It was created by Roman restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio in the early 1900s. According to the story, Alfredo made his wife, who was having a hard time eating while she was pregnant, a simple but rich dish of fresh fettuccine pasta tossed with butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese around 1907.
This combination of just a few high-quality ingredients, prepared tableside and mixed dramatically for an almost theatrical experience, became a sensation at Alfredo’s restaurant in Rome. Its fame spread internationally when silent film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks tasted the dish during their 1920 honeymoon and raved about it upon returning to Hollywood.
So in its original Italian form, fettuccine alfredo was a straightforward pasta with butter and cheese – no cream, no chicken. The technique and showmanship involved in the tableside mixing set it apart. Alfredo di Lelio eventually became known as the “King of Fettuccine” in Italy.
The Addition of Chicken in the U.S.
Chicken didn’t come into the picture until fettuccine alfredo came to the United States in the early 1900s. It’s not clear where this addition came from, but it’s generally thought that Italian-American chefs changed the dish to fit American tastes for hearty, protein-rich food.
By the mid-1900s, tender chicken and pasta covered in a rich, creamy sauce had become a standard dish at Italian-American restaurants. It became even more popular across the U.S. because it was easy to get and could be used in many ways. S. —it was easy to make at home and could be found on the menus of cheap to fancy restaurants
By the 1970s and beyond, chicken alfredo had secured its place as an Italian-American classic thanks to its inclusion in cookbooks and constant presence in eateries. Its fame was cemented by national restaurant chains like Olive Garden, which helped bring the dish to every corner of America.
Variations and Innovations
As chicken alfredo conquered America, many regional and individual twists emerged, showcasing the creativity possible with simple, versatile ingredients. Additions like broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, herbs and different proteins gave rise to new flavor profiles and combinations.
Home cooks and restaurants tailored chicken alfredo to suit their tastes and dietary needs. Lighter versions used milk or yogurt instead of heavy cream, boosting nutrition Whole grain pastas provided extra fiber Creative riffs included cajun spices or lemon juice for a tangy kick. This versatility and openness to innovation contributed to chicken alfredo’s widespread, long-running popularity.
An Italian-American Legacy
Even though it comes from Italy, chicken alfredo as we know it today is still very much an Italian-American dish. This one dish tells a bigger story about how immigration creates cultural melting pots and how beloved fusion foods are made when different types of food come together.
The evolution from fettuccine alfredo to chicken alfredo highlights the imprint of American tastes. Yet the foundation remains unmistakably Italian, from the pasta itself to the heritage of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. This blend makes chicken alfredo the quintessential Italian-American comfort food, beloved for generations and counting.
Key Takeaways: A Dish’s Transatlantic Journey
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Fettuccine alfredo was created in Italy in the early 1900s by Roman restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio. It originally consisted only of fresh pasta, butter, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
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The dish soared in popularity after positive reviews by American celebrities Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in the 1920s.
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Chicken wasn’t added until the dish arrived in the U.S. in the mid-1900s, likely by Italian-American chefs.
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Variations emerged over time, tailored to American tastes for hearty, creamy fare.
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Now a fixture of Italian-American dining, chicken alfredo encapsulates a story of culinary fusion and evolution.
So while its Italian origins run deep, the chicken alfredo found on so many American tables truly owes its present form to gradual innovation, adaptation, and decades of transatlantic sharing. This unlikely pasta dish proves food can unite cultures across oceans and eras.
Try your hand at the authentic Fettuccine all’Alfredo
In the recipe published for fettuccine all’Alfredo by George Rector in 1927, he described the recipe for the pasta as “a kilo of flour, five egg yolks, a glass of water and a pinch of salt,” going on to say that it’s about how Alfredo makes the pasta that sets it apart, giving the sense that it’s not possible to replicate the dish. That’s not to say that countless recipe writers haven’t tried. Todd Coleman published his own attempt at an authentic fettuccine all’Alfredo in Saveur, if you want to give it a try. Golden spoon and fork, optional.
Original Fettuccine Alfredo in Rome – Why Do Italians Hate This??
FAQ
Who made the first chicken alfredo?
The dish is named after Alfredo Di Lelio, a Roman restaurateur who is credited with its invention and popularization.
How did chicken alfredo get to America?
It was at Pickfair that fettucine alfredo made its American debut. On their European honeymoon, Pickford and Fairbanks had dined at a trattoria in Rome owned by the charismatic chef Alfredo Di Lelio, and he served them his signature pasta, fettucine al triplo burro.
Why is Alfredo not popular in Italy?
Supposedly it’s not traditional Italian food because it doesn’t have a recipe (despite having a fixed number of ingredients that everyone uses) and is only fed to sick children but also it’s a “general comfort food” that many people eat. Italian food culture never fails to amuse.
Which country is chicken alfredo from?
From Rome to the United States Fettuccine Alfredo is one of the dishes most associated with Italian cuisine by Americans. A statement that might raise eyebrows for many, thinking of the typical “Americanization,” yet the recipe for this beloved sauce in the U. S. actually originates from Italy, specifically from Rome.