The name means coal miner’s or coalmen’s pasta. It could be a reference to the Carbonari, a revolutionary secret society active in early 19th century Italy. But it’s probably because, with the right amount of pepper (lots) it looks it’s been prepared by a coalminer back from a long shift.

Ingredients:
1/2 slab of bacon (omit for non-meaty version)
1-2 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic (3-4 for non-meaty)
1/2 large yellow onion chopped
3 eggs
2 TSP black pepper
salt
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 Lb. thick spaghetti (bucatini are great)

For both versions start here:
Crack the eggs into a small bowl, add parmesan, salt and black pepper and mix together thoroughly with a fork. The goal with this dish is to have the oil (or grease in the meaty version) ready and hot when the pasta is ready so it will cook the egg mixture when you put them all together.

Meaty Version:
Chop bacon into 1/4” chunks (widthwise), fry on medium heat in a flat pan with 1 TBSP oil in it. When bacon is just past the point of being raw, but before it turns crispy, turn heat down to low [you might want to pour out a little bit of the grease at this point, but not too much: it’s a key component] and add garlic, cook for 2 minutes, then add chopped onion. Put pasta water on to boil at this point. Cook onion until it is soft and transparent.

Non-Meaty Version:
Put pasta water on to boil, when it boils add pasta. Heat oil on low in a flat pan for 2 minutes, add chopped garlic for another 2 minutes then add onions, cook until onions are soft and transparent.

Both versions continue here:
When pasta is cooked, strain and put it back in the pot you cooked it in. Immediately add the contents of the flat pan, mix together quickly, then add eggy mixture from the bowl. As you stir vigorously, the egg should cook and the parmesan should melt. If the egg is still runny after stirring for a couple of minutes, you can put the pot on low heat for a couple minutes, stirring so the bottom doesn’t burn or stick. The dish should have a very strong taste of pepper, so if you can’t taste it much in the finished product add more.

From “The Nappy Gourmet Cookbook”, Shystee Press, 1999