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