Archive · 5 Oct 2026
How Bari's Charred Spaghetti Became Italy's 'Killer' Pasta
A story says this pasta was first made in Bari in 1967.
Two visitors went to a restaurant called Al Sorso Preferito.
They asked the chef, Enzo Francavilla, to make something different.
He cooked spaghetti using a method like the one used for risotto.
He added spicy peperoncino and let the pasta become charred.
The visitors liked the strong flavors.
They called the chef an “assassin.”
The dish became known as Spaghetti all'Assassina.
The story places the creation of Spaghetti all'Assassina in Bari in 1967.
Two visitors asked Al Sorso Preferito chef Enzo Francavilla to make something unusual.
Francavilla cooked the spaghetti using a technique compared with making risotto.
The dish combined peperoncino's heat with intentionally charred spaghetti.
The visitors reportedly called the chef an “assassin,” inspiring the dish's name.
- Who
- Chef Enzo Francavilla and two visiting patrons.
- What
- The story of how Spaghetti all'Assassina was created and named.
- When
- 1967.
- Where
- Al Sorso Preferito in Bari, Italy.
- Why
- The patrons requested a unique dish, and reportedly called the chef an “assassin” after tasting its spicy, charred spaghetti.
- Dish
- Spaghetti all'Assassina
- Year
- 1967
- City
- Bari
- Restaurant
- Al Sorso Preferito
- Chef
- Enzo Francavilla
- Cooking method
- The spaghetti was cooked using a technique likened to making risotto.
- Named after
- The visitors' reported exclamation, “Sei un assassino!” (“You are an assassin!”)