Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is a dish of spaghetti cooked and tossed in a sauce of sliced garlic, olive oil and dried chilli. It is one of the simplest pasta dishes in Italian home cooking.

What it really is

The dish is built on spaghetti, garlic cooked slowly in extra virgin olive oil until golden, and dried red chilli (peperoncino). The garlic is sliced or chopped and warmed in the oil over low heat so it softens and flavours the oil without browning. Some cooks add chilli at the same stage; others add it to the finished pasta. Pasta water is added with the spaghetti so the oil emulsifies lightly into a thin coating, and the dish is finished with chopped flat-leaf parsley when used. No cheese is added, which separates it from cacio e pepe or carbonara.

It is a Roman and southern Italian home dish, and the name lists its components: aglio (garlic), olio (oil) and peperoncino (chilli). Unlike pasta al pomodoro or pasta with a meat ragù, it has no tomato, no cream and no butter. Its main look-alike, pasta aglio e olio, is the same method without the chilli.

How it's served

• Served hot, straight from the pan, in a shallow bowl or on a warm plate
• Eaten with a fork, sometimes with a spoon to catch the oil
• Usually given as a first course (primo) in a multi-course Italian meal
• Grated cheese is not normally offered with it

How to write it on the menu

• Name the key ingredients: spaghetti, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and dried red chilli
• Flag WHEAT (pasta) on the allergen list; the dish contains no other listed allergens
• State the heat level (mild or hot) and whether parsley is added
• Say if the dish is made with fresh or dried chilli, since guests may expect the chilli to be whole or flaked