From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
A pasta sauce made with cream, butter and Parmesan cheese, a specialty of the Alfredo restaurant in Rome, most often served with fettuccine noodles. The original owner was Alfredo Di Lelio, who is said to have invented the dish in 1914 in the hopes of perking up his wife's appetite while she was recovering from childbirth. Di Lelio distinguished his adaptation by using triple-rich butter and only the heart of the Parmesan wheel. It became famous after film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks visited Rome on their honeymoon in 1927 and dined at Alfredo's every night they were there. At the end of their stay, they presented Di Lelio with a golden fork and spoon and proclaimed him "King of the Noodles." The popularity of the dish widened when the couple returned to America, although it was not well known by this name in Italy until after the Second World War.
