'Foreigners fall for carbonara and lasagne'

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 22 - An Italian holiday for many foreign tourists tastes like a carbonara dish, lasagna and pasta with tomato sauce, according to a research carried out by Touring Club Italia for the Italian Food Union ahead of World Pasta Day, which is celebrated on Friday, October 25.
    The research ranked the top 10 recipes favoured by foreign tourists in Italy.
    According to the results of the survey conducted by Touring Club Italia, over one in two restaurant owners (54%) said at least half of their clients are foreign, while seven in 10 (72%) said the knowledge their non-Italian clients have about local food and wines has grown over time.
    Even though many foreigners still have a hard time rolling their spaghettis and tagliatelle pasta around a fork, 46% favoured long pasta with only 17% preferring short pasta and 38% not reporting a preference, according to the survey. Among the top 10 dishes favoured by foreign clients, the podium went to Spaghetti alla Carbonara, followed by Lasagne alla bolognese and Pasta with tomato sauce.
    Spaghetti with clams was nearly as popular as pasta with tomato sauce, followed by two typically Roman pasta recipes - Bucatini all'amatriciana and Spaghetti cacio e pepe - then a staple across the country - Tortellini in brodo .
    Sicily's Pasta alla norma and a typical Ligurian dish, Trofie al pesto followed, ahead of a staple of Puglia's cuisine, Orecchiette con cime di rapa, the poll found. (ANSA).