Roman macaroni

Translation of a 16th century Italian Recipe.

From Christoforo di Messisbugo, Banchetti composizioni di vivande e apparecchio generale (Lucio Spineda, Venice, 1610)

p52r A fare dieci piatti de maccheroni Romaneschi. (To make ten plates of Roman macaroni.)

Take five pounds of white flour, and the soft part of a bread soaked in rose water, and three eggs, and three ounces of sugar, and make a pasta, and then make it into sheets somewhat large or small, and then wrap it around a batton, and then take out this batton, and cut the pasta as large as a finger, and when it is [dry], if it is a meat day, then you can cook it in a good fatty broth, once it has boiled take it from the stove, and spread it, spreading under and over it good hard grated cheese, and sugar, and cinnamon, and serve it, and if it is not a meeat day, you can cook it in boiling water with butter, or equally with milk, not forgetting to salt it to taste.