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submitted 1 week ago by cm0002@infosec.pub to c/world@quokk.au

Rome — Italians have very strict rules when it comes to making carbonara. The classic combination of Italian pasta, pork and cheese are mixed with egg yolks and pepper preferably just moments before serving to create the perfect dish.

Which is why, when jars of a pale creamy sauce labeled “carbonara” but made in Belgium using non-typical ingredients appeared in a store at the European Parliament — an institution Italy often calls on to protect its traditional foods from imitation — there was outrage.

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[-] Entertainmeonly@lemmy.blahaj.zone 41 points 1 week ago

This is the level of world problems i want.

[-] Devadander@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Ultimately this is the same underlying problem as everything else in the world; capitalism, cost cutting, profit chasing enshitification undermining our social fabric

[-] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Wow, way to pee on the parade.

[Laughs in 🍊💩 second presidency]

[-] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 19 points 1 week ago

Good to know italy has solved literally all the important problems.

[-] v0rld@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago

Have you tried real carbonara? It's not the same as this ready made goop.

Just to clarify: selling this fake carbonara is fine, I'm even sure it tastes fine. But calling it carbonara (without weasel-words like carbonara-style or some such) absolutely is a problem.

In my country (which is not Italy) the popular variant is making it with whipped cream, which again, tastes fine, but it's not carbonara, but many restaurants have the fake carbonara on their menu labeled as normal carbonara, which totally sucks. And shit like these glasses with fake carbonara just makes this worse.

Labeling for food is protected in Europe for this exact reason. It's done for lots of food from parmesan to champagne.

[-] logi@piefed.world 8 points 1 week ago

What they said. carbonara is an awesome dish. Selling whatever that is as carbonara is simply fraud and should not be allowed.

[-] juan@lemmings.world 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

But calling it carbonara (without weasel-words like carbonara-style or some such) absolutely is a problem.

No way, that's just a Euro thing they force on the rest of us. People should be free to call their food whatever they want without some big rich country telling them what to do.

[-] ViatorOmnium@piefed.social 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

People should know what they are buying and consuming without having to submit it to a laboratory first. That's why naming things right is important.

[-] Timbits@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

Does Europe not mandate the inclusion of ingredients on packaging?

No wonder you get so easily confused about what is what and have to ban calling non-dairy milks milk to appease your corporate overlords.

[-] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago

Buying things for what they're called >> Reading manipulative "ingredients" list on packaging like food-coloring 25, totally-not-sugar 55, totally-thoroughly-tested-chemical 101

[-] Railcar8095@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Yeah, companies should be able to advertise whatever way they want without restriction. Why should a bureocrat prevent me from selling dog liver labeled as vegan hummus?

/s, before you agree

[-] HowAbt2day@futurology.today 6 points 1 week ago

Agreed. We can call silver, gold and make a few extra bucks. Try calling your local restaurant burger a Big Mac and see if McDondalds is ok with it.

[-] Klear@quokk.au 1 points 1 week ago

People are free to call their food what they want.

You'll be surprised to learn that corpos are not people.

[-] Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 week ago

Even Wikipedia lists pancetta as an acceptable variant for carbonara.

If the definition is so important to Italy, they shouldn't be complaining to a supermarket, but should ensure the naming is protected, which unlike champagne or parmesan, does not seem to be the case for carbonara (probably because it's a style of dish and doesn't reference a place of origin).

[-] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I was expecting it to be with cream or garlic, but it’s pancetta vs guanciale.

First off, I’m a vegan with a genetic pork intolerance, so I really know nothing about the nuances of preserved pork cuts, but I have to imagine that a jarred carbonara made with guanciale would be worse than a freshly made pancetta “carbonara-style” sauce.

Or are they really so far away from each other?

[-] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

Italy is literally run by the mafia. silly little diversions are the only things that keep people happy and distracted.

[-] logi@piefed.world 6 points 1 week ago
[-] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

Shoot, lost track. Uhh 27?

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 1 week ago

and not thier population crisis, low job prospects.

[-] frongt@lemmy.zip 12 points 1 week ago

So the problem is that they used smoked, salted pork belly instead of smoked, salted pork jowl? If you're buying jarred sauce I don't think you're concerned about that difference.

[-] luciole@beehaw.org 6 points 1 week ago

I think Italy should simply ignore any of Belgium's takes on food considering they stuff canned peaches with tuna.

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

What the fuck?

[-] CallMeAnAI@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

International version of wearing a fedora and saying achktually....

Rent seeking protectionism 🤣

[-] Sir_Simon_Spamalot@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Fucking Italians and their food-related outrages.

this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2025
79 points (100.0% liked)

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