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Is this Italy's most unusual pasta?

Plus: the most unhealthy yet outrageously delicious Turkish sweet

Author

Julius Fiedler
September 12, 2025

Spaghetti all’Assassina (Italian Killer Spaghetti)

I’m excited to share another recipe from my cookbook Naturally Vegan, which - in case I haven’t said it enough - features over 90 traditional dishes from around the world that just happen to be plant-based. Few, though, have a backstory as dramatic as Spaghetti all’Assassina - the kind of tale you’d expect to hear in The Godfather, not a kitchen in Bari.

According to legend, the dish was born in the 1960s when two northerners asked a local chef for something new. The result was so spicy and shocking they called him assassino (meaning murderer). In the end, it’s a humble plate of spaghetti in tomato sauce, but cooked with a fiery bite that makes it unlike any pasta you tried before.

The process may seem unusual, but conventional rules don’t apply to the Killer Spaghetti…

My Test Kitchen

Lokma (Turkish Fried Dough Balls in Rose Water Syrup)

Crispy, fried dough balls that are soaked with a rose-water flavoured syrup. Unhealthy? Sure. Delicious? 100%. In Türkiye, they are traditionally handed out for free during times of mourning, or during celebrations, and are one of my fondest memories of visiting İzmir. 

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The Archive

Sambar (South Indian Lentil & Veg Stew)

In India, this is a breakfast staple, usually served with pillowy Idli, though it hardly needs the company. Easy to whip up, there aren’t many better ways to kick off your morning. And yes, it also makes a formidable dinner.

Gochujang Yachaejeon (Korean Vegetable Pancakes)

When it comes to low-waste cooking, this might be my favourite. Any leftover veg reborn as Gochujang Yachaejeon, a crisp Korean pancake with a punchy dipping sauce.

I hope you’ll try this killer spaghetti from Bari. Next Friday brings one of my favorite Turkish desserts, the sort that’s so outrageously good it bends all the rules.

Have a good one!

Much love,
Julius