Personally I am obsessed with spicy food. I love having that burning sensation in my mouth and brain. For me, the spicier the better. But at the same time, every once in a while I like trying different varieties of food. In one such expedition, I came across Aglio Olio pasta.
Now, I had never been a huge fan of pasta or even Italian cuisine in general. But after having a good plate of Aglio Olio (and keep in mind why I specifically said a good plate), I realized my thoughts had been heavily biased because of the Indianization of the entire Italian cuisine. Every pasta or pizza – which are basically the only two Italian foods most of us are aware of, is often so drastically changed from the original recipe that it feels like the essence of the cuisine is completely removed. What’s left is just the name of the dish.
So I tried it.
And to be honest… I didn’t like it.
My first thought was that it just tasted like noodles seasoned with heavy garlic and a bit of oil or maybe butter, I couldn’t quite tell. But it was pretty dry for me, and there wasn’t a lot of flavor to explore instead of the overwhelming garlic. I wasn’t amazed or intrigued by my first encounter, and I had tried this in a good restaurant. Not mentioning any names because they aren’t paying me haha, but comment below if you want the names.
I kind of felt a little betrayed by the money I was paying and the expectations I had set. But I guess it was fine. I wanted to try a new cuisine, and now I knew what it was like.
Jump to a month and a half later.
I again ended up at an Italian restaurant. This time I wanted to try something that would suit my taste a little more, and my friend said, “Try their Aglio Olio.”
I really didn’t want to.
But my friend insisted so much that I ended up ordering it anyway.
The dish came, and to my surprise it looked nothing like the one I had before. I knew what I was getting into this time, so I dove straight into the dish.
And to my SURPRISE.
The first bite itself was a shock. It wasn’t dry at all. The pasta was perfectly coated in olive oil, the garlic was aromatic instead of overpowering, and there was this subtle heat from the chili flakes that slowly crept in which was not even there the last time I tried. It wasn’t loud or aggressive like the flavors I was used to, it was simple, balanced, and surprisingly addictive.
Instead of a hundred spices fighting for attention, and I’m not trying to start a culture war here, I absolutely love Indian food and always will – there were just a few ingredients working perfectly together.
Garlic. Olive oil. Chili. Pasta.
That was it.
But somehow, it worked.
By the time I was halfway through the plate, I realized something, this dish wasn’t supposed to overwhelm you with flavor. It was supposed to show you how good a few simple ingredients can be when they’re treated properly.
And suddenly my whole perspective changed.
Maybe the problem wasn’t the dish the first time.
Maybe the problem was that I had never actually tasted a good Aglio Olio before.
