Pasta La Vista Baby: Gricia

This is the final week that we will be tucking into the history behind the four classic pastas of Rome: amatriciana, cacio e pepe, carbonara, and gricia. Pasta alla gricia (or griscia depending on the Italian dialect) is the forgotten pasta. This pork-forward pasta is often overshadowed by its famous friends: amatriciana, cacio e pepe, and carbonara. Pasta enthusiasts describe gricia as amatriciana minus the tomatoes, cacio e pepe with the addition of guanciale, and carbonara without the egg. But gricia is a leading lady in its own right. Undiscovered talent, if you will. A future pasta darling. While gricia is not yet a household name and has sadly escaped the limelight, it has been on the culinary scene for centuries. Pasta alla gricia’s “origin undoubtedly dates back to a time before the discovery of America given the absence of tomatoes,” as described on La Cucina Italiana.

Punctuated by perfect pieces of pork, piled high with Pecorino Romano, and perfumed with freshly ground black pepper, gricia may seem special and sinful by today’s standards, but it comes from humble beginnings. Once considered peasant food, gricia hails from Grisciano and derives its name from the small village. Many believe that gricia was introduced by shepherds arriving from the Apennines, as it was simple for shepherds to travel with cured meats and hard cheeses and “was modified when it reached the Italian capital,” as explained by Katie Parla in Tasting Rome. Various food historians contend that Ancient Roman taverns typically served pasta alla gricia.

Although this theory checks out, some "point to the word gricio, an early Roman term for bread-maker,” according to Cook’s Illustrated, as bread-makers, similar to shepherds, would have had access to staples like meats and cheeses and therefore presumably could have concocted pasta alla gricia. Others “claim it simply as a mispronunciation of the word grigia (“gray”), referring to the fact that the tomato-less sauce looks rather drab.” It’s an entertaining theory, but considering how saucy and glossy gricia is, it seems like a stretch.

 I hope you’ve enjoyed the deep dive into the history behind the four classic pastas of Rome and that it inspires you to expand your culinary horizons and experiment in the kitchen.