Sugo all'amatriciana /

Sugo all'amatriciana (Italian pronunciation: [amatriˈtʃaːna]) or alla matriciana (in Romanesco) is a traditional Italian pasta sauce based on guanciale (dried pork cheek), pecorino cheese and tomato. Originating from the town of Amatrice (in the mountainous Province of Rieti of Lazio region), the Amatriciana is one of the most well-known pasta sauces in Roman and Italian cuisine. The sauce has been declared as Lazio's Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale. The ancestor of the Amatriciana was the recipe named gricia. Grici were called in Rome the sellers of bread and comestibles. They were called so because a group of them came from the Swiss canton of Grisons. According to another hypothesis, the name originates from the village of Grisciano, in the comune of Accumoli, near Amatrice. This was (and still is) prepared with guanciale (cured pork cheek) and grated pecorino.