Al Bava
Butter, fontina, and egg — a Piemontese cheese sauce that forms long, stringy threads. The name means drool, and that is exactly what it does.
Pasta al bava comes from Piemonte and the alpine valleys where mountain cheese is the currency of the kitchen. 'Bava' means drool — a direct reference to the long threads of melted fontina that stretch from fork to bowl. It is the pasta equivalent of fonduta, the Piemontese melted cheese dish — the same technique, the same cheese, applied to pasta instead of bread. The egg is the emulsifier; without it, the cheese separates instead of stretching.
Only a few ingredients
Butter
A generous knob. Low heat — the butter should melt slowly, not foam or brown.
Fontina
Diced small. Stir until it softens and begins to stretch — this takes patience and low heat. Do not rush it.
Egg yolk
Beat the yolk separately first, then drizzle it into the pan while stirring. The pan should be off the heat — the residual warmth of the butter and cheese is enough to cook the egg through.
1 per personParmigiano Reggiano
Off heat. Grated fine. Stir it through until the sauce is thick, glossy, and ready to coat.
Pasta Water
A splash. Add it a little at a time — the correct consistency is just before it looks thin enough. The sauce will tighten as it sits.
Low heat. Always. This is not a dish for hurry.
Al bava punishes impatience. The cheese and egg emulsion breaks the moment it is overheated — the sauce turns grainy, the threads disappear, and what remains is a pan of greasy separated cheese. The pan should never be above a gentle warmth. If you can see steam rising from the sauce, you have already gone too far.
Tagliatelle
Fresh egg pasta. The ribbons carry the stringy cheese perfectly.
Pappardelle
Wide and substantial — the sauce clings to the surface and the threads stretch across the width.
Ready to cook?
These sources we trust. Each one makes it correctly.
Other sauces from the same region
No other sauces from this region yet.