Sour makes you polite: the nicest lemon pasta in the world – for 1.50 euros

Sometimes the internet is a pretty nasty place.

In comment columns one is pummeled and as soon as one allows one mistake, the know-it-alls outdo each other in malice and meanness.

The case of what is perhaps the friendliest cooking video of the year shows that things can be nicer.

It’s about – unsurprisingly for readers of the headline – lemon pasta.

It all started when California cooking blogger Emily Mariko shared a video of her take on Italian classic Spaghetti al Limone with her nearly 12 million fans on TikTok.

The recipe was easy to follow, but not only found love.

Especially users with Italian roots did not agree with Mariko's preparation method.

Then what followed?

Riots in Amalfi?

Fighting in Campania?

no

Instead of rebuking or even insulting the American, what was probably the most respectful video in internet history followed.

Namely from an Italian woman living in Germany with the username »Mammaculinaria«.

Behind it is a mother of three daughters who first had to bring herself to share her recipe.

"Actually, I didn't want to reply to the video," she tells me on the phone, "because things like that often come across as hostile or know-it-all." To avoid this impression, she repeatedly apologized in her video, for example for her (quite good ) English or for the unsolicited (but very tasty) feedback.

She didn't have to be so reserved, because both sides of her family come from "Napoli, where lemon pasta was invented," as she says.

But the online etiquette was worth it: in the first week after it was posted, the polite pasta recipe received three million likes, and it was viewed more than 18 million times in just one week – more than the original video by the American influencer.

Lemon pasta is literally on everyone's lips.

Mammaculinaria finally (politely) allowed me to share the recipe here in the column.

It's quick and easy to make and cheap, which is what we like best about “cooking without charcoal”.

The thin pasta is cooked in lemon juice, olive oil and a little water until creamy in a few minutes.

Because the starch in the noodles doesn't disappear in the boiling water of a pot, this method creates a creamy sauce without any cream or cheese.

Like many pasta dishes, lemon pasta is often served as a first course in Italy.

On a hot summer's day in Germany, however, it can also be used as a main course.

You just have to be careful with the acidity: lemons in Germany are sometimes very acrid, in contrast to Italian Amalfi lemons, for example, which taste almost sweet.

At least I misjudged the cooking.

If in doubt, it is better to start with just one lemon and then add more acid to taste.

This is what you need for two servings of Pasta al Limone

• 250 g capellini (thin spaghetti)

• Juice and zest of 1 to 2 organic lemons, depending on your preference for sour

• 3-4 cloves of garlic

• 1 tsp chili flakes

• 1-2 tsp salt

• 100 ml olive oil

• a handful of freshly picked basil leaves

• Optional: a small knob of butter

What does this cost?

Depending on the amount of lemons used, around 1.50 euros per person

Only 15 minutes

This is how easy it is to make pasta with lemon sauce

• Peel and coarsely chop the garlic.

• Wash the lemon(s) and grate the zest.

  Caution: We only want to eat the yellow part of the skin, not the bitter white part.

• Boil some water in the kettle.

• In a pan, heat the olive oil and butter.

  Add the garlic, salt and chili and sauté briefly, then place the raw noodles in the pan.

• Add hot water in small sips, stirring the noodles regularly to keep them from sticking together.

• Caution

  : When you first put hot water in the oil, it can splash heavily.

• Capellini only need three to four minutes to cook, thicker types of spaghetti correspondingly longer.

  When the pasta is almost al dente, add the zest, lemon juice, and basil leaves.

• Stir well, leave to stand for a minute and then serve hot.

  Garnish with basil and chili on the plate.

Enlarge image

Finished!

If you like, you can of course grate some Parmesan on top

Photo: Sebastian Maas / DER SPIEGEL

The end result is a great, light summer dish that is still tingling on the tongue an hour later.

If the acid is too strong for you, you can counteract it with mozzarella or grated parmesan.

An extra pinch of salt can also help.

I wish you lots of fun cooking and bon appetit!

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