Spaghetti with Cheese and Pepper

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published an account of his travels in Italy between 1786 and 1788, called Italian Journey. In it he writes of the pasta he encountered in Naples: “As a rule, it is simply cooked in water and seasoned with grated cheese.” This is, in fact, the prevalent way that pasta used to be served in southern Italy. Today the dish has become a Roman specialty. Some people swear that it must be made with the sharper aged Pecorino Romano, while others in