How to cook the perfect cacio e pepe pasta (according to scientists)
Pasta has long been a subject of scientific interest. — Pexels
From adding salt to egg whites to help them rise, or ice water to fix the green colour of spinach, time-old tricks are legion in the kitchen.
And, much to the dismay of Italians, pasta preparation is also the subject of many such beliefs, starting with that famous drizzle of olive oil that some say should be added to the pot of boiling water, supposedly to ensure that spaghetti doesn't stick.
This advice has been the subject of much comment in the scientific community, including by chemist Raphael Haumont, famous associate of top chef Thierry Marx, who constantly points out that olive oil simply rises to the surface and doesn't mix with water at all.
In short, it's a waste!
All is not lost, however, as the perfect pasta is a very serious subject, and researchers from several universities have joined forces to conduct experiments to find the ultimate ingredient that will guarantee the perfect creamy texture of cacio e pepe, the famous pasta dish made with pecorino romano cheese and black pepper.
Anyone who has ever tried to make this dish at home may have encountered problems, despite the simplicity of the ingredients.
It's hard to achieve the creaminess normally produced by the pecorino without getting clumps of cheese or a sticky mess. It's true that Italians generally recommend adding a ladle of pasta cooking water to finish a pasta-in-sauce dish like cacio e pepe. And that water contains starch. But for researchers, you need to add starch rather than rely on the unknown quantity in the cooking water.
Yes, there's starch in spaghetti – but not enough. For the sauce to be as creamy as it should be, the ratio of starch to cheese needs to be around 2-3%. And this works just as well with corn or potato starch, according to study results published in the journal Physics Of Fluids. In practice, you need 4g of starch for 240g of pasta and 160g of grated pecorino.
Scientists from the University of Barcelona (Spain), the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (Germany), the University of Padova (Italy) and the Institute of Science and Technology, Austria also add that it's important to ensure the correct temperature of the dish when assembling the pasta with the sauce. It's important not to overheat the dish, as this could result in the cheese forming clumps.
While the purpose of this study may raise a smile because of its light-hearted nature, the authors remind us that pasta – both its composition and the way it is cooked – has long been a subject of scientific interest.
'On several occasions, pasta has been a source of inspiration for physicists. The observation that spaghetti always break up into three or more fragments, but never in two halves, puzzled even Richard Feynman himself, and the explanation of this intriguing phenomenon earned Audoly and Neukirch the Ig Nobel Prize,' the researchers write. – AFP Relaxnews
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The Star
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- The Star
Curious Cook: The science of hangry
In 1765, widespread protests over bread shortages sparked riots in Paris, foreshadowing the French Revolution. Centuries later, researchers uncovered a hidden thread in many such upheavals: hunger. While revolutions are complex situations, studies now suggest that empty stomachs were a primary driver in many such events. And the state of our stomachs also shape our everyday choices, from workplace conflicts to unhealthy shopping habits. The term 'hangry', a merging of the words 'hungry' and 'angry', may sound frivolous, but its implications are profound. Neuroscientists argue that hunger does not merely nudge behaviour – it hijacks it. Today's column explores how an ancient biological drive surreptitiously dictates modern life, challenging our notions of free will, morality, and even love. Biology of hunger Hunger is not just audible pangs from a growling stomach. It is the fundamental consequence of a sophisticated biological chain of events involving hormones, our brains, and survival mechanisms embedded in our cells. Produced in the stomach, the hormone 'ghrelin' is the body's hunger alarm. A 2013 study found that rising ghrelin levels correlated highly with impulsive decisions. When ghrelin spikes, the brain prioritises food-seeking over logic – the hormone acts like a survival override button. Another hormone called 'leptin' is produced by fat cells, and acts as a satiety signal. But overweight/obese individuals often develop resistance to leptin, which blunts this signal. Particularly affected are people with metabolic syndrome, a condition which affects potentially around 1.4 billion people on Earth. Being hungry can make you 60% more likely to purchase non-essential non-food items, according to a 2015 study. — ENERGEPIC/Pexels A 2012 study found that leptin injections reduced food intake by 17% in normal people, yet the hormone's effectiveness is much reduced in overweight/obese people. This shows that leptin is not a magic switch which turns off eating. The experience of hunger is therefore a function of a biological dialogue between our hormones and metabolic health, and the discussion does not always go as planned. Low blood sugar does not just cause dizziness – it impairs judgment significantly. A 2007 study found glucose-deprived undergraduates struggled with self-control tasks. This is not surprising as the brain burns 20% of our energy, a huge proportion relative to its size. Without adequate glucose, the study confirmed that willpower and judgement are negatively affected as the brain runs low on fuel. A pea-sized portion of the brain called the hypothalamus literally lights up on fMRI scans when people are hungry. Other studies found a 38% spike in hypothalamic activity when participants viewed food images. This indicates that the desire for food is a primal need, and therefore alleviating hunger is not a conscious choice – it is a hard-wired biological mandate. Hunger and decision-making From the above, it is evident that hunger does not only make people crave snacks, though it does that pretty well too. More than that, hunger rewires what we think of as 'conscious' decisions and/or free will. In a 2014 study on gambling, fasting participants took 22% more risks. Hunger pushed people to take more risks which they would not undertake if they were not hungry. Evolutionarily, it may seem that hunger had pushed hunters into taking more risks for food. Today, it might explain why US President Donald Trump insulted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in a meeting which took place before lunch. Another study revealed hungry people are significantly more likely to make selfish choices, over 30% of the time depending on the experiments used. It appears that hunger forces the brain to focus its limited cognitive resources on managing food scarcity, and this necessarily narrows the scope for empathy towards others. It is simply harder to be a saint when one is starving. A study found that people with lower glucose levels showed more aggression towards their spouses. — PIXABAY/Pexels Research in Shanghai in 2017 suggested that persistent food scarcity is correlated with poorer economic outcomes for affected people. This may be because chronic food insufficiency created a mindset focused on scarcity management rather than ambitious achievements. 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A 2014 study showed that hungry people take more risks compared to people who have eaten well. — STREETWINDY/Pexels Beyond individual concerns, recognising hunger's profound effects have broader, serious social significance. With chronic food insecurity currently affecting over 800 million people globally, such a scale of persistent hunger is shaping life outcomes, community dynamics, migration patterns, and even geopolitical stability. For example, food insecurity, especially in urban settings, correlates strongly with higher crime rates and social/political instability. Free will vs determinism Philosophers have been debating free will for thousands of years. The subject of hunger adds a confounding biological twist. Far from idealistic individualism and free will, it is not implausible that people are mostly behaving like robots desperately afraid of hunger. Ancient Greeks called such behaviour 'akrasia' – acting against one's better judgment. Hunger-induced impulsivity fits neatly into this framework. We know we should not splurge needlessly or be unkind, but too often hunger can hijack our best intentions to be thrifty or kind. In that way, determinism may be a plausible argument as it may sometimes be impossible that a person could have made any other decision or performed any other action when pressured by hunger. If hormones and glucose dictate our choices, is free will therefore an illusion? Studies have now conclusively shown that the biology of hunger narrows our daily choices and hence what we believe to be 'free will'. This is because humans simply cannot reason a way out of a ghrelin surge. Raw hunger can therefore be considered as a lens into true human nature itself. Still, hope remains. It is important to be aware of the insidious power of hunger which can control us like puppets. Yet all the studies on the effects of hunger indicate that hunger's grip can be mitigated by mindful eating and regular meals. So the next time you feel indecisive or irritable, ask immediately: 'Am I hungry?' If the answer is 'Yes', have a nice healthy snack and a calming cup of tea at once. In many such situations, research has shown that alleviating hunger is the best way towards reclaiming autonomy over your thoughts. There is a caveat though, which applies to those people who feel constantly hungry all the time. Such a situation is a potential sign of some form of metabolic disorder. This is an issue which needs to be addressed urgently before it becomes a more significant malady. In the meantime, according to science, such people may be prone to making lots of ill-judged decisions. Regardless, you should now know why you should never undertake any important decisions on an empty stomach and definitely not undertake shopping trips while hungry. The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
The Star
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Interview: Spain must upgrade power grid to match renewable energy shift, expert warns
BARCELONA, Spain, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Spain must adapt its electrical grid to reflect the country's evolving energy landscape or risk more large-scale blackouts, Jordi Sole, an energy expert and professor at the University of Barcelona, told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday. His warning comes ahead of a Senate vote on Wednesday that could urge the government to launch an independent investigation into the nationwide blackout that affected the country on 28 April. Sole said the root cause of the blackout is the lack of flexibility and stability in Spain's electrical system. "The grid has not been adapted to the new reality," Sole said. "The system is unstable and not flexible enough to respond quickly to oscillations in market supply and demand. It lacks the stabilization mechanisms needed to adapt to these fluctuations," he said. Spain has made significant progress in its energy transition, with renewable energy accounting for 56 percent of electricity generation in 2024, according to Red Electrica, the national grid operator. Sole said this transformation has outpaced the modernization of infrastructure. He argued that "not enough has been done to adapt the electrical network to this new energy mix." "The systemic problem of the electrical grid is that Spain's network is designed for an energy system that we are making a transition away from. It's a system based on fossil fuels and centralized energy sources that can provide power on demand," Sole added. The unprecedented blackout, described in the industry as a "zero energy" event, is still under investigation. On 14 May, Spain's Minister for Ecological Transition Sara Aagesen told Parliament that initial findings indicated three successive outages in the southwest triggered a cascade effect that ultimately caused the collapse of the national grid. According to Sole, another vulnerability is Spain's limited interconnection with the broader European grid, as the "lack of interconnection of the peninsular network with the rest of the continent" remains evident. He cited the International Energy Agency (IEA), which has repeatedly urged European governments to double investment in energy grids. "The investment at both the European and Spanish levels currently accounts for 0.36 percent of GDP. However, the IEA suggests that the rate should be 0.6 percent, which is double the current rate -it hasn't been done because it's expensive," he said. Sole also highlighted the role of private energy firms in the debate. "These companies, which earn millions from the business of electrical energy, should make some contribution to the grid," he said, calling out their reluctance to contribute and reduce their profits. He concluded by calling for a more holistic energy strategy that prepares the grid for a renewable-driven future. "This requires a new vision of energy consumption, one that considers environmental impacts, social and energy justice, and energy poverty," Sole said.
The Star
14-05-2025
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How to cook the perfect cacio e pepe pasta (according to scientists)
Pasta has long been a subject of scientific interest. — Pexels From adding salt to egg whites to help them rise, or ice water to fix the green colour of spinach, time-old tricks are legion in the kitchen. And, much to the dismay of Italians, pasta preparation is also the subject of many such beliefs, starting with that famous drizzle of olive oil that some say should be added to the pot of boiling water, supposedly to ensure that spaghetti doesn't stick. This advice has been the subject of much comment in the scientific community, including by chemist Raphael Haumont, famous associate of top chef Thierry Marx, who constantly points out that olive oil simply rises to the surface and doesn't mix with water at all. In short, it's a waste! All is not lost, however, as the perfect pasta is a very serious subject, and researchers from several universities have joined forces to conduct experiments to find the ultimate ingredient that will guarantee the perfect creamy texture of cacio e pepe, the famous pasta dish made with pecorino romano cheese and black pepper. Anyone who has ever tried to make this dish at home may have encountered problems, despite the simplicity of the ingredients. It's hard to achieve the creaminess normally produced by the pecorino without getting clumps of cheese or a sticky mess. It's true that Italians generally recommend adding a ladle of pasta cooking water to finish a pasta-in-sauce dish like cacio e pepe. And that water contains starch. But for researchers, you need to add starch rather than rely on the unknown quantity in the cooking water. Yes, there's starch in spaghetti – but not enough. For the sauce to be as creamy as it should be, the ratio of starch to cheese needs to be around 2-3%. And this works just as well with corn or potato starch, according to study results published in the journal Physics Of Fluids. In practice, you need 4g of starch for 240g of pasta and 160g of grated pecorino. Scientists from the University of Barcelona (Spain), the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (Germany), the University of Padova (Italy) and the Institute of Science and Technology, Austria also add that it's important to ensure the correct temperature of the dish when assembling the pasta with the sauce. It's important not to overheat the dish, as this could result in the cheese forming clumps. While the purpose of this study may raise a smile because of its light-hearted nature, the authors remind us that pasta – both its composition and the way it is cooked – has long been a subject of scientific interest. 'On several occasions, pasta has been a source of inspiration for physicists. The observation that spaghetti always break up into three or more fragments, but never in two halves, puzzled even Richard Feynman himself, and the explanation of this intriguing phenomenon earned Audoly and Neukirch the Ig Nobel Prize,' the researchers write. – AFP Relaxnews
