Italian Pasta - Everyone's Favorite Food!

Why is Italian pasta so popular?

Pasta not only taste great, but is a great food for modern cooks because its so quick and easy to prepare. If you can boil water, you can cook pasta. Its also extremely versatile and goes with just about anything. Pasta is great as a side dish, salad or main dish. There are so many quick and easy ways to make pasta, that if you think you don't have time to cook, then you need to try some of these easy pasta recipes. It is great as a side dish, salad or main dish. It can even be made as a dessert!

What is Pasta?

Pasta is basically made of flour, water and egg and additional flavorings if desired. Fresh pasta is common in Italy and is cooked after preparing. Dried pasta is hung on drying racks until dried and the advantage is its convenience and long storage life.

There are some differences in ingredients, but the main difference between varieties of pasta is their shape. When choosing which type to use for a particular dish, some things to keep in mind are the noodle’s cooking time, size and consistency and its ability to hold the sauce you will be using.

Here are some of the most common Italian Pasta Types...

Who really invented pasta?

Many food connoisseurs trace the origin of pasta back to Greek mythology. It is believed that the Greek word "laganon" indicated a wide and flat sheet of pasta dough cut into strips. Later the existence of pasta was found in Roman cookery as "lagane". However, history indicates that the common belief that pasta was invented by the Chinese is not true. There is another belief that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy on his way back from China, however, this cannot be true as pasta is mentioned in historical writings long before the his arrival. Whatever the origins in Italy, it was with the large Italian immigration around the turn of the century that made pasta a hit in America. Italian pasta dishes such as spaghetti, lasagna and pizza are still incredibly popular today. Whatever the true origins of pasta, I am very grateful it was invented!

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