With a celebrated food culture, Italy is known for protecting its culinary traditions even as many of its recipes have transcended borders.
So some food lovers may be surprised that pasta brand Barilla is shaking up one of Italy’s best-known dishes: carbonara.
Coinciding with National Carbonara Day April 6, Barilla has launched an initiative called Open Carbonara, which offers up a cross-cultural rendition of the Italian classic. Created by Publicis Italy, the campaign promotes food inclusivity, as the brand’s research reveals that 58% of people say they face some form of limitation when it comes to eating.
Traditional carbonara is a dish of Roman origin, prepared with spaghetti, guanciale (cured meat made from pork cheek), pecorino Romano, eggs and pepper. These ingredients mean the dish is not suitable for those who observe halal, kosher, vegan, gluten-free or lactose-free diets.
This issue comes to light in Barilla’s short film, which follows a group of children at an Italian school. When the kids sit down for lunch, most of them are served carbonara, but a few with dietary restrictions receive a different dish—and feel left out among their peers.
One of the girls goes home and tells her dad that she won’t eat carbonara anymore because her friend Gabriele can’t have it. Her father happens to be Michelin-starred chef Marco Martini, and the children’s wish inspires him to create “a much more inclusive carbonara.”