Cacio e pepe... e burro? Recipe draws ire for adding ingredients

Jeff Gibbs, owner of Gibbs Cheese, reaches for Pecorino Romano cheese imported from Sardinia, Italy, at his shop in Findlay Market, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

U.K. website Good Food has drawn backlash for adding an ingredient to one of Italy’s most notoriously bare-bones delicacies.

Literally translating to “cheese and pepper,” cacio e pepe is a pasta dish known for exactly three components: spaghetti, pecorino and black pepper. In the viral recipe, described as “Good Food’s version,” the site recommends adding 25 grams of butter -- a modification some have taken for culinary sacrilege.

“Rename the dish and post it again,” one commenter wrote below the recipe.

“This should not be allowed,” said another, in a response punctuated with a vomiting emoji.

‘Dairy shortcuts’

There are complaints beyond the three-ingredient rule. Good Food’s recipe also recommends substituting the pecorino with parmesan cheese, which some have noted hails from a totally different region than the traditionally Roman dish.

As well, the recipe calls it an "easy, speedy lunch." Though simple in its components, cacio e pepe has been described as deceptively challenging to master; the result of a nuanced chemical reaction that has inspired physicists to try their hand at cracking the code.

“Some things aren’t meant to be rushed or bastardized with convenience substitutes - they’re cultural traditions that deserve respect,” wrote one commenter.

“You wouldn’t put ketchup on Sunday roast, so why massacre a Roman masterpiece with dairy shortcuts?”

Conversely, some commenters appear to embrace the nontraditional approach, pitching their own additions, from ham (a so-called “carbonara twist”), to a sprinkle of crushed potato chips and a “slab of kraft cheese slice.”

“When I made it(, I) had to substitute Penne for Spaghetti and Cheddar for Parmesan,” one comment reads. “It still worked beautifully with a little margarine.”

A point of order

Though the Good Food recipe appears to have lived on the website for some time, as evidenced by one incredulous commenter decrying the butter as far back as three years ago, it has seen an explosion of attention in recent days.

Italian restaurant association Fiepet Confesercenti has escalated the row to a minor diplomatic dispute, reportedly penning letters to the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Italy, as well as the website’s owner, asking to rectify the issue.

“We protect Italian cuisine,” the association wrote, translated from the original Italian, in a post to Facebook Thursday.

In the wake of the controversy, Good Food addressed its detractors, alluding to an “international incident” in a video posted to Facebook.

“Our pasta recipe caused quite a stir!” reads the caption. "#ECaciopePepeGate."

At time of this writing, the Good Food recipe maintains a score of four out of five stars, across 46 ratings.