Spaghetti «a 'sapunariello», The Dish Loved By Eduardo De Filippo, Is Offered Again In Naples

They are called spaghetti “a ‘sapunariello” and were the great passion of Eduardo De Filippo, who loved them. Cavalier Navarra, a good friend of the Neapolitan actor, playwright, director and poet, prepared them for him. Eduardo was a true chef of the word (which he mixed and cooked to perfection) and this is also reflected in the fact that the name of this dish was coined by him. Before moving on to the dish itself, the title “Sapunariello” deserves a pause: Eduardo used to call his friend Navarre “Soapmaker”, an affectionate joke linked to the Navarran profession. They were once called soap boilers, those small businessmen who would go from house to house taking soap with them to exchange for furniture, tools and objects that the housewives wanted to sell. Cavalier Navarra dealt in antiques: he was the owner of a very famous shop in the center of Naples. So to call him “soapmaker” was to belittle him in a good-natured way. Not that the knight was evil, on the contrary: he is remembered as an extremely intelligent and witty man, which is why he was liked by everyone from the housewife trying to get rid of the old beliefs to one of the greatest geniuses in the world Neapolitan Theater. Eduardo enjoyed spending his free time in the company of Cavalier Navarre, often visiting him at his shop for lunch or dinner. Here it was the same antiquarian who cooked his pasta «a ‘sapunariello».
(All photos in this article are by photographer Aurora Scotto Di Minico, courtesy of Galleria Navarra Rossopomodoro)