Pasta! Pasta! Pasta! The word means “paste” in Italian. But this humble, yet historic food icon means so much more than “glue” to millions of epicureans around the world. Just about every culture has its own signature pasta or noodle — Germany and Hungary have spaetzle; Greece has orzo and many others; Americans have made spaghetti and elbow macaroni a staple. The Chinese hold the record for the oldest noodle culture, evidence of which can be found as early as the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD).
Since pasta noodles are a food associated with average people throughout the ages, unlike more extravagant foods, it is almost impossible to know who invented them first. Although pasta has an ancient pedigree, today it is probably most closely associated with Italian cuisine. Few foods define Italian life as greatly as pasta — the average Italian eats between 50 and 60 pounds of pasta every single year, and Italy exports about 1.7 million tons of pasta annually.
When we talk about pasta, we are usually using the term to describe traditional Italian noodles, which differentiates them from other types of noodles around the world. That doughy paste is created from ground durum wheat mixed with water and/or eggs. The use of durum wheat sets Italian pasta apart from other forms of noodle. Durum wheat’s high gluten content gives Italian pasta the ability to be successfully dried and later boiled into soft, but sturdy, pieces that hold up well when combined with a variety of sauces.
The exact origins of Italian pasta are hotly contested. We know that the Chinese were making noodles in primitive civilizations, and some people believe that Chinese techniques were passed through ancient trade routes into the Mediterranean. Others believe that Italian pasta techniques are more native — it does seem that some form of pasta was being produced in Italy by the time of the Roman Empire. The Romans produced millions of tons of grain per year, and drying it as pasta would have been a good way to store it. It is in this era that we find the first recorded use of the term macaroni, which in historic Italian culture was a term that described dried pasta of any shape.
While the nature of ancient pasta is debated, what we would recognize as pasta was unquestionably in existence by the late medieval era. Around the thirteenth century, written accounts of pasta start popping up all over Italy. Why? Italy was just entering an extended period of growth, sustained by the wealth coming in from the newly opened silk roads — a network of trade routes connecting civilizations in the East and West that were well-traveled for approximately 1,400 years. Italian merchants were among the first people to profit from this new era of international trade, and many historians believe that it was their frequent mobility and new wealth that led to a sharing and interest in local pasta recipes across the peninsula.
It is worth noting that the silk roads contributed to one of the enduring myths of pasta: that it was brought to Italy from China by Marco Polo, the famed Venetian explorer. Marco Polo’s stories describe his encounters with Chinese noodles, leading some to assume that this was the origin of modern Italian pasta. It seems pretty clear that pasta already existed in Italy by this point; however, many new technologies and ideas were introduced into Italy from China at this time. Noodle and pasta production may have been among the industries impacted by the international exchange of ideas.
From there, Italy exploded into an unprecedented era of prosperity, the Renaissance, and pasta was right there in the heart of it. The Pope himself issued pasta quality standards in the thirteenth century, and Renaissance cities had artisanal pasta-making guilds, alongside the guilds of other artists and craftsmen. Pasta became a ubiquitous feature of Italian life during the Renaissance, the canvas upon which a million different meals could be designed.
Unexpectedly, some legends claim that early Spanish settlers were among the first to bring pasta to America, but, like almost every innovation in early America, Thomas Jefferson had a significant role to play. When he visited France and Italy from 1784 to 1789, he found macaroni such a delight that he brought home a recipe for homemade noodles, along with drawings of a machine to shape dough into tubes. His notes called for two eggs beaten with a wine glass of milk, a teaspoon of salt and enough hard flour to make smooth, firm dough. Jefferson even visited European cheese dairies and made notes on cheesemaking. Back in America, he introduced a favorite dish, macaroni and cheese.
During the late nineteenth century, when a large group of immigrants relocated from Italy to America (mostly from Naples), pasta became a common food in the states. We have been making spaghetti in America ever since.
It is estimated that there are approximately 600 types of pasta — and about 1,300 different names for them. This is due to the fact that some types may have different names in different languages, or even in the same language. In Italy, for example, names vary according to the region or area. In addition, pasta manufacturers and cooks may come up with new shapes or give new names to old shapes — the possibilities become endless.
Pasta shapesare specifically designed to hold a variety of sauces in the best way possible. Many regions in Italy havecreated their own pasta shapes: for example, bigoli (thick, noodle-like spaghetti) are from Veneto; strozzapreti (meaning, ‘priest strangler’) are from Emilia-Romagna; trofie (perfect with pesto) are from Liguria, and orecchiette (or, ‘little ears’) are from Puglia. According to Academia Barilla’s, I Love Pasta, recipe book, gnocchi is the forefather of all pasta; it evolved into other shapes when cooks manipulated the dough by hand or by using simple tools, while mixing wheat and water to produce local variations.
The three most popular pastas today are penne, spaghetti and macaroni. The three most popular pasta dishes are macaroni and cheese, spaghetti Bolognese and lasagna.
For centuries, pasta has been a comfort food. One of its most satisfying qualities is how little it has changed over time. It is still made with the same essential ingredients and preparations that have defined it since antiquity. When we eat a pasta dish, we can be assured of the likelihood that our ancestors and our ancestors’ ancestors ate something similar. Pasta, with its long, multicultural history, is a culinary connection to our past.
Pasta with Easy Bolognese Sauce
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 package (20 ounces) sweet Italian sausage; may substitute same quantity of ground beef/ground pork, or a mixture of both
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 pound pasta of choice (Linguine or spaghetti works well.)
Directions:
Combine carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add vegetable mixture and sauté until softened and slightly golden. Crumble meat into skillet with vegetables and cook until meat is no longer pink. Add wine to skillet; bring to a simmer over medium to low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain tomatoes and save the liquid. Roughly chop tomatoes. Add them and their liquid to skillet; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium/low; cook for 30 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in milk and cook for another 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions in salted boiling water, about 11 minutes. Drain pasta and serve with sauce. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and basil leaves, if desired.
Pasta with Ham and Peas
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 pounds ham, cubed or sliced into strips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 pound pasta of choice (Rotini, or any type of twirly pasta, works well.)
- Flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish
Directions:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent. Add ham, then peas. Swirl in cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook pasta according to package instructions (al dente) and drain. Add another tablespoon of butter to pasta. Toss pasta and sauce with cheese. Sprinkle with parsley and extra cheese, if desired.
Fresh Tomato Penne with Prosciutto and Walnuts
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 1 (16-ounce) package penne pasta
- 1/4 pound prosciutto, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1, 2-ounce package of walnuts, lightly toasted and broken into pieces
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm. Cook prosciutto in hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, about 8 minutes or until crisp. Add tomatoes and next 7 ingredients; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Toss with warm pasta. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Garnish with oregano sprigs.
Orzo Salad with Shrimp and Asparagus
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch asparagus, sliced into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- Handful of parsley, chopped for garnish.
Directions:
Cook orzo according to package directions, al dente. In the meantime, in a large mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper; whisk. While whisking, slowly add the 1/2 cup olive oil. Whisk until combined and smooth. (Reserve 2 tablespoons.) Drain orzo completely and toss in the large bowl with the majority of the vinaigrette. Set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add asparagus and reserved 2 tablespoons vinaigrette; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle shrimp with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste; add to the pan. Cook for another three minutes until shrimp are pink and opaque and asparagus is tender. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Remove from the heat and toss in the cherry tomatoes. Add mixture to the bowl of orzo and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve warm or cold.
