Al loved his wife, Ines, so much and was beyond proud when she became pregnant. Ines loved Al just as much. Their family dynamic was similar to most families of their time, in 1908, in Rome. Al worked, and Ines took care of the house in the family. There was one exception to this normal division of labor, and that was that Al did much of the cooking in the family. In fact, while Ines was pregnant, Al made a point of catering to his wife’s every whim regarding whatever hankering or craving she had for food. His love was so great that he doted on Ines.
Occasionally, Al would create dishes made to his wife’s special orders. Her cravings seemed to center around dairy products. Now this point, it’s important for me tell you that Al worked with what he called “blondes.” Al’s blondes did not cause Ines any jealousy whatsoever. In fact, she encouraged his work with them. We will get back to that whole blondes situation in a minute.
Meanwhile, where were we. Oh yes. Al was making food for his pregnant wife. Ines had her baby, and, to Al’s great pride, it was a son. Of course, he named him Al, Junior. However, Ines had lost her appetite after the birth. Today, we might say she was living with post-partum depression. Anyway, Al had the great idea to combine his work with the blondes and his wife’s loss of appetite. It was a simple thing to do. All Al did was Take butter and cream and Parmesan cheese and put them over noodles. He served this to his precious Ines, and she could not believe how incredibly good it tasted.
You see, Al’s work was as a restauranteur. The family restaurant, Da Alfredo, did great business with locals, and, once he put this simple pasta dish on the menu, began attracting a large tourist trade as well.
You remember the “blondes“ I spoke of earlier? That’s what Al lovingly called his butter-filled thin noodles.
You know the dish that Al made for his pregnant wife to help her with her loss of appetite? The yummy and rich combination of Al’s blondes and his buttery cream sauce?
You call it fettuccine Alfredo.
The Rest of the Story 