Barilla is no stranger to going all-in on a promotion, but the pasta company’s most recent #Carbonara campaign sets a new high bar. Ahead of Carbonara Day—an annual event that spotlights the beloved pasta dish combining cheese, cured pork, eggs and black pepper—the multinational pasta purveyors unveiled “The Origins of Carbonara,” a ten-minute, highly produced short film with a message of unity and charity.
Pasta Carbonara’s history may be contentious, but the short expands on the theory that the dish originated in the 1940s as a combination of Italian cuisine and American Army K-rations. “The Origins of Carbonara” shows innovation born of desperation as American Army private Robbins aims to deliver a hot, home-cooked meal that might boost troop morale. Doing so means brokering a shaky alliance with a hesitant Italian chef.
