History of Pasta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The works of the 2nd century AD Greek physician Galen mention itrion, homogeneous compounds made up of flour and water.[7] The Jerusalem Talmud records that itrium, a kind of boiled dough,[7] was common in historic Palestine from the 3rd to 5th centuries AD.[8] But these references are vague and simply speculate on a possible connection to modern pasta.

Lasagne

A dictionary compiled by the 9th century Syrian physician and lexicographer Isho bar Ali defines itriyya as string-like shapes made of semolina and dried before cooking, probable evidence of Arab influence on the ancestor to modern-day dried pasta. One form of itrion with a long history is laganum (plural lagana), which in Latin refers to a thin sheet of dough.[9]

The Chinese were eating noodles made of millet as long ago as 1500 BC. This was confirmed by the discovery of a well-preserved bowl of millet noodles over 4000 years old[10]. However, durum wheat was not known in China until later times. The familiar legend of Marco Polo importing pasta from China[11] was born in the USA on the Macaroni Journal (published by an association of food industries with the goal of promoting the use of pasta in the USA) [12]. Marco Polo describes a food similar to "lagana" in his Travels, but he uses a term with which he was already familiar. Durum wheat, and thus pasta as we know it, was introduced by Arabs during their conquest of Sicily according to the newsletter of the National Macaroni Manufacturers Association[13].

In the 1st century BC writings of Horace, lagana were fine sheets of dough which were fried[14] and were an everyday food.[9] Writing in the 2nd century Athenaeus of Naucratis provides a recipe for lagana which he attributes to the 1st century Chrysippus of Tyana: sheets of dough made of wheat flour and the juice of crushed lettuce, then flavored with spices and deep-fried in oil.[9] An early 5th century cookbook describes a dish called lagana that consisted of layers of dough with meat stuffing, a possible ancestor of modern-day Lasagna.[9] But the method of cooking these sheets of dough do not correspond to our modern definition of either a fresh or dry pasta product. The first concrete information concerning pasta products in Italy dates from the thirteenth or fourteenth century.[15] The question of Pasta's origin continues to evoke speculation. The name (λαγάνα, lagána) survives in modern-day Greece to denote an unleavened, flat bread eaten during the Great Lent. The term "lagana" is also used in the Southern region of Calabria, where it indicates a flat noodle.

Ingredients

Pasta is made from a simple combination of flour and water. Pre-packaged speciality pasta often includes spices, cheese or added coloring from spinach, tomatoes or food dye.

Under Italian law, dry pasta (pasta secca) can only be made from durum wheat flour or durum wheat semolina[4]. Durum flour and durum semolina have a yellow tinge in color. Italian pasta is traditionally cooked al dente (Italian: "to the tooth", meaning not too soft). Abroad, dry pasta is frequently made from other types of flour (such as wheat flour), but this yields a softer product which cannot be cooked al dente.

Particular varieties of pasta may also use other grains and milling methods to make the flour, as specified by law[5]. Some pasta varieties, such as Pizzoccheri, are made from buckwheat flour. Fresh pasta may include eggs (pasta all'uovo). Some specialty pasta varieties can be made from spelt or other grains low in gluten for gluten-intolerant people, or from whole wheat flour. Gnocchi are often listed among pasta dishes, although they are quite different in ingredients (mainly milled potatoes) and therefore can't be called pasta because they don't contain flour.

Accompaniments

Pasta is generally served with some type of sauce. Common pasta sauces in Northern Italy include pesto and ragù alla bolognese, which usually adds meat to the sauce. In Central Italy, we find simple tomato sauce, amatriciana and carbonara. Southern Italian sauces include spicy tomato, garlic, and olive oil, with the pasta often paired with fresh vegetables or seafood. Varieties include puttanesca, pasta alla norma (tomatoes, eggplant and fresh or baked cheese), pasta con le sarde (fresh sardines, pine nuts, fennel and olive oil), spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (literally with garlic, [olive] oil and hot chili peppers).

Fettuccine alfredo, with cream and cheese, and spaghetti with tomato sauce (with or without ground meat or meatballs) are popular Italian-style dishes in the United States.

As pasta was introduced elsewhere in the world, it became incorporated into a number of local cuisines, which often have significantly different ways of preparation from those of Italy. In Hong Kong, the local Chinese have adopted pasta, primarily spaghetti and macaroni, as an ingredient in the Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. In Cha chaan teng, macaroni is cooked in water and served in broth with ham or frankfurter sausages, peas, black mushrooms, and optionally eggs, reminiscent of noodle soup dishes. This is often a course for breakfast or light lunch fare.[16] This method often involves cooking the pasta well beyond the al dente stage and washing the starches off the pasta after cooking, measures frowned upon in Italy or in Hong Kong's more authentic Italian eateries.

References

   1. ^ "History of Pasta". Retrieved on 2008-04-06.

   2. ^ "BBC Food - Get cooking - Pasta". Retrieved on 2008-04-06.

   3. ^ "pasta - Wiktionary". Retrieved on 2008-04-06.

   4. ^ | Presidential decree 9 February 2001, law #187

   5. ^ | Presidential decree 9 February 2001, law #187

   6. ^ Watson, Andrew M (1983). Agricultural innovation in the early Islamic world. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 22-3

   7. ^ a b Serventi & Sabban 2002:17

   8. ^ Serventi & Sabban 2002:29

   9. ^ a b c d Serventi & Sabban 2002:15–16

  10. ^ Lu, Houyuan, et al. (13 October 2005). "Culinary archaeology: Millet noodles in Late Neolithic China". Nature 437: 967–968. DOI:10.1038/437967a.  news  abstract.

  11. ^ National Pasta Association article FAQs section "Who "invented" pasta?"

  12. ^ S.Serventi F.Sabban La pasta. Storia e cultura di un cibo universale,VII. Economica Laterza 2004

  13. ^ Serventi, Silvano; Françoise Sabban (2002). Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food. Trans. Antony Shugaar. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 10. ISBN 0231124422.

  14. ^ Serventi & Sabban 2002:24

  15. ^ Serventi, Silvano; Françoise Sabban (2002). Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food. Trans. Antony Shugaar. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 10. ISBN 0231124422.

  16. ^ AP, Explore the world of Canto-Western cuisine, January 8, 2007 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16440507/

Why is pasta so popular?

From: http://www.ilovepasta.org/faqs.html

According to The American Pasta Report, a survey commissioned by the NPA, among the reasons cited for pasta's increased popularity are its nutritional value, taste and convenience. Eighty-four percent of consumers consider pasta to be a healthy food and an important part of a well-balanced diet. In fact, 77 percent of the 1,003 Americans surveyed said they eat pasta at least once a week, while a third eat it three or more times a week. What's more, consumers who describe themselves as health conscious are more likely than others to eat pasta three or more times a week. In addition, 44 percent of the health conscious are eating more pasta today than they were five years ago.

Fresh Pasta

From: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/pasta-history.asp

Essentially all pasta starts out as fresh pasta but some is made to be eaten "soft". Fresh pasta can be made with slightly different ingredients than the dried variety. Many northern regions of Italy use all-purpose flour and eggs while southern Italy usually makes theirs from semolina and water but it depends upon the recipe. Serving pasta that is made fresh that day shows a great deal of care in preparation and a high level of pride in the household's culinary skills. However fresh pasta is not inherently better than dried pasta, it is just different and is used in different situations. Some types of pasta are served only fresh, others only dried and some others can have fresh and dried versions. It is in this case that it can be argued that fresh is better than dried pasta. Fresh pasta has been made in households throughout Italy for generations but the region of Emilia-Romagna has the reputation of making the best. Here fresh pasta is often served with cream sauces or a simple sauce of butter and sage while light tomato sauces are reserved for the summer months. Following the simple but important rule of using fresh local ingredients, the Piedmontese serve their fresh pasta with a butter sauce covered with slices of decadent local black truffles. Wherever you are in Italy, being served fresh homemade pasta is a real treat as you can be assured that the pasta was made that day and will have a taste that will make you rethink notions of what good pasta is.