Four ingredients: spaghetti, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, dried red chilli. Tossed in a hot pan with pasta water to emulsify into a glossy slick. Neapolitan midnight pasta.

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is a Neapolitan invention from the 19th century, born of cucina povera (poor cooking) using only Campania pantry staples: durum-wheat pasta, Neapolitan garlic (Allium neapolitanum), Campania extra-virgin olive oil, and the chilli that Neapolitan folk-belief considers a charm against bad luck. It became Italy's most-cooked midnight pasta, the spaghetti di mezzanotte you make after the wine has run out. Traditional Neapolitan preparation NEVER adds cheese; the dish is too pure to need it.

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