It’s National Pasta Day… AND Month! Linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti, tortellini, ziti—the list of pastas is endless! Pasta is typically thought of as an Italian dish, but there is evidence that people living in Asia in 2000 BC made noodles with millet and it made its way over to Europe, where the Italians made it their own.
The classic Italian-style pasta that we know and love Pasta is typically made from an unleavened dough of durum wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. In today’s world, there are hundreds of varieties out there, from whole wheat to spinach to gluten-free. The pasta world is yours for the taking!
Pasta can be made dry (pasta secca) or fresh (pasta fresca). There are over 350 varieties of dried pasta in Italy. The highest quality of dried pasta is made with pure durum semolina flour and water. Did you know that a typical Italian person eats over sixty pounds of pasta per year? In comparison, Americans only eat around twenty pounds of pasta per person per year.
Of course fresh pasta is the much preferred variety for chefs and foodies everywhere, as home pasta roller sales have skyrocketed in recent years.
To celebrate National Pasta Day, put on your best sweatpants, and make or go out and enjoy a delightful dish of your favorite type of pasta topped with a scrumptious sauce of choice. Mangia!
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