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Pasta’s history and trend, recipes that you can try
Aug
Everyone loves pasta. Among all the noodles in this world, Pasta is one of the most popular noodles. Here are Pasta’s history and trend to know better about pasta that we love.
The History of Italian Pasta
Pasta does not have a single place of origin: in fact, its use seems to have begun among diverse populations in various parts of the world and then spread worldwide. The oldest known mention of pasta is in China, where the so-called “noodles” still eaten today.
Arabs and pasta
In the 5th century, in the ” Jerusalem Talmud ” (written in Aramaic) spoke of noodles cooked by boiling. It is therefore very likely that this pasta cooking technique introduced during the conquest of Sicily by the Arabs. In fact, the Arab geographer Al Idrisi wrote about a flour-based product in the form of strings, cooked in water, was produced in Palermo, which was then an Arab colony. The Sicilian word ‘macaroni,’ which means ‘dough formed by force,’ is thought to be the origin of the word macaroni. The term force means that the dough kneaded with the feet, an activity that often took a whole day.
Medieval Italy
The oldest source referring to the small-scale industrial production of dry pasta dates back to 1150: Al Idrisi reports that in Trabes, about 30 kilometers from Palermo, “an abundant quantity of string pasta is produced and exported everywhere, in Calabria and Muslim and Christian countries, even by boat.” Two documents from 1244 and 1316 record pasta production in Liguria, mentioning that pasta was famous throughout the Italian peninsula as early as the 13th century.
In the 17th and 18th centuries
A milestone in the history of pasta dates back to the 17th century, in the city of Naples. In fact, it was here that a small technological revolution made it possible to produce pasta at a lower cost, transforming it into food for the people. Pasta production was done by kneading the semolina dough with the feet: it was a tiring and lengthy process. Then the king of Naples, Ferdinand II, hired a famous engineer to improve this process. Cesare developed a new system, which consisted of adding boiling water to the freshly ground flour, and the kneading with the feet was replaced by a bronze machine that perfectly imitated the work done by men.
Tomatoes
Until the end of the 18th century, pasta was eaten plain or with cheese. The tomato, first imported from the New World to Spain, quickly spread throughout Europe, especially in the Mediterranean countries, where the climatic conditions are ideal for growing it. But in the beginning, tomatoes were not used in cooking, because they were considered a dangerous plant for health (in reality, the plant is toxic, but its fruit, the tomato, is not). It was only at the end of the 18th century that tomato sauce appeared on the tables of Italians to accommodate macaroni.
But since 1787 maybe because of Tomato sauce the Pasta started to gain it’s popularity. Based on Marco polo’s travels to Northern Italy, Thomas Jefferson drew a “macaroni” machine with instructions for making pasta. You can see more detailed history after 1787 from the “I love pasta organization web page”
Pasta recent trend
Pasta in 20th century
Due to the industry development, the export reached 70,000 tons in the early 20th century (mostly to the United States), a record level.
Later, the large importers began to produce themselves, and Italian pasta-making machines quickly conquered the world. At present, pasta widely distributed in Europe, Australia, North, and South America. At 28 kg per person per year, Italy is by far the world’s largest pasta consumer, followed by Venezuela and Tunisia on less than half of this amount per capita. With more than 3 million tons per year, it is also the world’s largest producer, followed by the United States and Brazil with 2 million and 1 million tons respectively. 50% of Italian production exported.
Italy is also the country with the broadest range of pasta products. The shapes and colors are innumerable. The pasta has different forms so that the sauce clings better and does not remain at the bottom of the plate. So, for each dish, you have to choose the right shape of pasta, but be careful there are more than 150 different types!
10 Pasta Recipes you can try
One of my favorite Italian venue in New York city is Eataly. You can enjoy great Italian groceries and also dishes at the same time here. They recommended 20 best pasta in their website and I picked 10 among them I think you may can try it!
It had to be ragù served over silken egg tagliatelle, a signature dish of Bologna, the food-loving capital city of Emilia-Romagna. In fact, this rich, meaty tomato ragù is so closely associated with Bologna
Made with eggplant, ricotta, and chunky tomato sauce. Delicious flavor.
Made with just seven ingredients, pesto alla genovese is one of Italy’s finest exports when it comes to pasta sauces.
An iconic dish from Piemonte, Agnolotti del Plin gets its name from the regional dialect for “pinch,” which is how you made the pasta.
5. Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa
A traditional pasta from Puglia, these “little ears” are the ideal shape for catching a delightfully bitter, savory sauce of broccoli rabe.
Five simple ingredients, one revolutionary meal. If there is any dish that is truly iconic of Italian cuisine
Packed with umami flavor and a meaty texture, mushroom ragù pairs perfectly with the thick pappardelle for a classic dish from Toscana.
Cooked in an “angry” tomato sauce, leave it to the Romans to give us this fiery dish.
A traditional dish from Emilia-Romagna, Lasagne alla Bolognese is made with egg pasta, creamy béchamel, and Bolognese ragù.
one of my favorite seafood pasta. Briny clams, white wine, garlic, and peperoncino create a light yet intensely flavorful sauce in this classic Neapolitan spaghetti dish.
Hey! That’s nice! Being Italian I almost feel emotional 😀
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