Following the first lockdown in Rome, Ristorante Alfredo all Scrofa reopened its doors in summer 2020 with a new menu and even more outdoor space thanks to the launch of Piazzetta Alfredo. Have you booked your table yet?

Read on for the full story behind the real Fettuccine Alfredo in Rome!

When a recipe like Fettuccine Alfredo or Alfredo sauce enters popular culture, it’s easy to assume that there was no starting point, that such a dish has somehow always existed. But there was actually an individual named Alfredo who invented the original Alfredo sauce, and the real Fettuccine Alfredo story begins in a restaurant in the heart of Rome.

In this blog post I’m going to share how I tracked down the real Fettuccine Alfredo in Rome, finding the restaurant that invented this legendary dish and even eating it with the original gold cutlery used by Alfredo of Rome himself!

So put Ristorante Alfredo alla Scrofa on your bucket list for your Roman holiday, because this extraordinary place in via della Scrofa serves the real Fettuccine Alfredo, prepared in the original way, and it’s still the best Fettuccine Alfredo that you will ever try.

I first came across Ristorante Alfredo alla Scrofa in via della Scrofa in the heart of Rome almost by accident. I had been sent in search of the original Alfredo sauce, to find the real Fettuccine Alfredo for an article I was writing.

Alfredo alla Scrofa is located in an elegant street in Rome’s historical centre, where via della Scrofa widens into an asymmetric piazza, far enough away from the usual streets populated by tourists to retain an air of the real Rome. Here I was greeted by Mario Mozzetti, the restaurant’s heir and custodian of its remarkable recipe.

According to Mario’s story, the recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo dates back to 1914 when Alfredo di Lelio opened his restaurant in this historic street in the centre of Rome. Trying to tempt his pregnant wife to eat something, Alfredo mixed parmesan cheese with triple the usual amount of butter to create nutritious and tasty dish, Fettuccine Alfredo, essentially egg pasta freshly stirred with melting butter and grated parmesan.

I feel it’s important to underline how simple – and good – the original ingredients actually are. This dish has been bastardised over the years – not to mince words – with the addition of heavy cream, vegetables and even meat. But the original Alfredo sauce or real Fettuccine Alfredo actually contain just three, high quality elements.

In a short space of time, the restaurant achieved considerable fame in Rome not just because this simple and tasty pasta dish was nothing short of a work of genius, but also because of the theatrical way in which the dish was served by Alfredo of Rome.

Still today, it requires a final flourish at the table, as the pasta is tossed and stirred in front of all the guests in the restaurant, to ensure that it is silky smooth when served – contributing to the recognition of the dish as a symbol of the restaurant itself.

Other elements which helped the dish pass into immortality – beyond Alfredo’s creativity and the  quality of the ingredients – were the tales of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, two stars of Hollywood cinema at the start of the 20th century, who visited Alfredo alla Scrofa and became firm fans of Fettuccine Alfredo.

During their honeymoon in Rome in 1920 they dined at Alfredo in Via della Scrofa and remained enchanted. To say thank you for the hospitality they had enjoyed and out of appreciation for the food, the two actors sent Alfredo of Rome a gold fork and spoon engraved with their names, which is today one of the restaurant’s most prized treasures.

You can imagine how honoured I felt, then, when Mario Mozzetti insisted that I try the famous Fettuccine Alfredo, eating with the exact gold cutlery set which had been given to the restaurant in the 1920s by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. I felt at once a part of this incredible tale, which has helped it become an integral part of Italian culinary history.

In 1943 the family – which still runs the restaurant to this day – acquired the restaurant Alfredo alla Scrofa  to take its traditions forward. Mario Mozzetti is a part of that original family and is a charismatic host, alongside warm and welcoming Veronica Salvatori. What can I say? After that interview, in summer 2017, we became good friends, and they still invite me to drop into the restaurant today whenever I am passing.

Onto the pasta – butter and parmesan might sound like a strange mix – but the final flourish of mixing the melted butter with the finest quality cheese and the steaming pasta at the table ensures that this is served silky smooth with the right balance of fat to give the dish movement, set off by the exquisite tang of the cheese. The secret lies too in the quality: Alfredo alla Scrofa uses only butter made by Beppino Occelli, produced in Piemonte’s Langhe territory, and 24-aged parmesan sourced from the famous Gennari dairy. It’s a great quick dish when you need a burst of energy to explore Rome.

The delicate hand-made pasta Fettuccine, which cook in just a few minutes, are also a crucial part of the dish’s quality.  Fettuccine are a kind of egg pasta typical of central Italy. The name derives from the Italian word ‘affettare’ (slice), as it is made by slicing thin layers of pasta, which have been rolled up, into fine, even ribbons.

Dining at Alfredo alla Scrofa today

Chef Mirko Moglioni joined the team in 2020, and I recently went to try out some dishes from the new menu he has created for Alfredo alla Scrofa. Another exciting innovation for 2020 is the way that the restaurant has been able to take over the entire piazza in via della Scrofa, creating a magical outdoor dining experience.

If you’re not in the mood for Fettuccine Alfredo when you visit the restaurant, Alfredo alla Scrofa has a handsome menu offering a broad range of Roman cuisine – and much more. From steamed and deep fried artichokes in the winter, to the freshest seasonal fish, as well as other pasta dishes, grilled and seared meat dishes and salads, risotto and charcuterie plates – there’s a lot to choose from to suit a varied dining party.

Amongst the new dishes that I tried, designed by chef Moglioni, I really enjoyed the delicate ravioli filled with pesto and served with French beans, grated bottarga and rice crackers.

Whereas this particularly ingenious dish combined seared tuna with carrot sponge, creamed asparagus and aubergine crisp. Simply delicious and a real triumph of different textures.

Moving onto the second course menu, this tasty meat-based dish combined pork sirloin with crisped pork rind and a mix of beans.

I also tried a delicious dessert, a mango semifreddo on a vanilla biscuit, with dark chocolate and passion fruit cream. Just the right balance between tangy and sweet!

It is a real work of art and deserves to be followed by Alfredo’s very own artichoke and blood orange amaro – simply excellent.

National Fettuccine Alfredo Day

Just in case you didn’t know, February 7th is National Fettuccine Alfredo Day. Alfredo Alla Scrofa proudly upholds this tradition with a party or special every year, which sometimes involves a glamorous gala for local celebrities, and sometimes sees the Alfredo alla Scrofa team go and help the city’s neediest, as happened last year, when they set up an impromptu soup kitchen.

As you might have guessed by now, I’m a real fan of Alfredo alla Scrofa, and would recommend this restaurant and trying the real Fettuccine Alfredo to anyone hoping to taste a slice of history and tradition when in Rome.

Ristorante Alfredo alla Scrofa, via della Scrofa 104 | Tel: +39 0668806163 | Open Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner 

Testaccina was a guest of Alfredo alla Scrofa

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