The Pasta Queen’s go-to spot for cacio e pepe in Rome
The cheesy, pepper-flecked pasta has gone as viral as chef Nadia Munno’s cooking videos. Here are the spots she loves for it in her native Rome. For Roman chef-entrepreneur Nadia Caterina Munno – “The Pasta Queen” to her five-million-strong online following – cacio e pepe embodies everything she adores about the Eternal City. “Romans are loud, brash, yet incredibly warm. That warmth is love,” she says. “Our food is just as bold – up north the flavors are subtler – and cacio e pepe is classic, no-nonsense Rome.” The dish is simplicity itself: pasta tossed with Pecorino Romano, starchy hot water, and toasted black pepper. Salty, unfussy, and spontaneous, it’s pure Roman soul food. Lately, cacio e pepe has conquered menus from New York to London, while starring in Munno’s exuberant cooking clips, complete with Sophia Loren flair and her trademark praise to the “pasta gods.”