Fetty Rap

If you like noodles with butter and cheese (and who wouldn't?) you can say thanks to the DiLelio family.

Alfredo DiLelio was a cook in a Roman restaurant that his mother ran. It was 1907 that Alfredo's wife, Ines, gave birth to their first child, Armando. But she lost her appetite post-partum. Maybe it was accidentally for the best that people in those days did not have the benefits of counseling for post-partum depression. Ines and Alfredo handled the situation - and it's vitally important for a woman who's just given birth to maintain her nutrition, of course - with a hearty helping of rich eggy wide fettucine noodles, butter, and fresh grated Parmesan cheese. 

Alfredo prayed to St. Anna, protector of pregnant woman, as he served it to Ines. And she loved it and soon her health was restored.

Alfredo added the dish to the bill of fare at his mom's restaurant, and in time, he opened his own place in Rome. 1920s movie stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks dined there, and labelled Alfredo "King Of The Noodles." 

With that sort of publicity, it was only a matter of time before the whole world was tucking into bowls of delicious fettucine. 

Make mine Alfredo!