Macaroni is a tubular product made from durum wheat flour, completely dried dough. Other similar products, such as spaghetti or noodles, are produced in the same way. Now absolutely everyone knows about these widespread ingredients. And what happened in antiquity, before a variety of culinary masterpieces and intricate dishes appeared? Who actually invented pasta and in which country?
The very first mention of pasta
The history of pasta is really incredibly confusing. The same can be said of the country in which pasta was invented. Some sources claim that they appeared in ancient Greece and were once created by God himself, although this, of course, is a legend.
The creation of pasta dates back to a very long time. They appeared even earlier than Chinese noodles, for about five hundred years. It was believed that pasta was created in Etruscan time, but the evidence for this is not strong enough. Archaeologists have found a needle similar to a sewing needle. Soon they decided that this tool was used to wrap the dough from which pasta itself is made.
There is a popular opinion that pasta was popular in the 4th century BC among the Egyptians. During excavations in the tombs, drawings were found that depicted something similar to cooking a kind of noodle. The Egyptians also often took noodles with them to the world of the dead.
But the very first written mention of pasta appeared in the culinary book of Apicus, a famous Roman chef in the 1st century. This book presented the first recipes for lasagna. Apicus in his work writes about the preparation of a dish of minced meat, which is laid out in the layers of this dish. Lasagna pasta was common in ancient Greece and in ancient Rome. A vermicelli appeared in medieval Italy a little later.
History
It is not known who invented pasta, and the name of the one who first proposed them. But they have a rich and interesting story.
In the X century, Italian chef Martin Korno wrote a book called "Culinary Art of Sicilian Pasta." Products from the dough prepared in this way are called pasta in Italian, but in those years the word pasta was the name of the whole food.
A 1244 document identified products that were banned. This list included the so-called pasta lissa - soft wheat pasta. By the 12th century, even lawmakers were monitoring the quality of the product - this proves the importance of these products in people's lives.
Stripes from a peculiar dried text often appeared until the 13th century. Their pasta often appeared on the tables in Sicily. Dishes from sun-dried dough were cooked using various delicious additives.
It is believed that pasta first appeared in China, and it was not until 1292 that Marco Polo, an Italian traveler, brought them to Italy. But when he discovered pasta in China, he only meant that the Chinese were creating the same pasta as in Italy.
In China, medical records about the emperor’s medicines written by Xiao Gong were found. In them, he wrote various recipes and recommendations for their use. In one of the entries, you could find tips on eating hot buckwheat noodles. It was believed that it eliminates harmful energy and various diseases. And from excess weight and to preserve the youthfulness of the body, the doctor advised as often as possible to eat rice and wheat noodles.
And in 2005, archaeologists discovered ancient utensils along the Yellow River. On one of the dishes they found a very old noodle, the age of which was counted at four thousand years. This once again proves that in ancient times, Asian countries also used pasta, otherwise - rice pasta. Who invented them? So, the first such pasta began to be eaten right here in China. Although, of course, this does not exclude the fact that various pasta was also used in ancient Italy.
Italy and China
So who invented pasta and where? There is no doubt that Italy and China have long been familiar with these products. What is more surprising is that other countries did not even know about such products. The simplest cakes were popular all over the world. However, lasagna is considered almost the progenitor of all pasta and is the same cake. This clarifies the situation a bit. It turns out that noodles and pasta are only logical derivatives of lasagna. However, this is not an indisputable fact. Therefore, there is no exact answer to the question of which country the pasta was invented in.
Ravioli, tortellini and dumplings
In the middle of the XIII century, a kind of pasta with filling called ravioli and tortellini appeared in Italian cuisine. The filler they have is completely different, but mostly it is meat, cheese or spinach. Soon, all over the world appeared derivatives of Italian pasta with filling, otherwise - familiar to us, Russian, dumplings. Wonderful tones later began to be made in China, mo-mo in Tibet, and crepe among the Jews. No wonder it is believed that many forms of pasta come from the Middle East.
Who invented instant pasta?
Nowadays, noodles that can be cooked in just five minutes are widely known all over the world. All that is needed: pour out the entire contents of the bag and fill it with water. Quite often, other dishes are made with such noodles. As you know, the semi-finished product was invented by Momofuku Ando. Now you know the name of the one who invented instant pasta. Today they are indispensable for too busy people with limited time.
Who invented navy pasta?
Navy pasta served mainly as food for sailors and various travelers in the Middle Ages. Now it is considered a classic Soviet recipe. It became especially widely known after the end of World War II and is boiled pasta mixed with fried minced meat or stew.
Interesting Pasta Facts
- Around the world, there are about 600 different types of pasta.
- In Italy, pasta is called nothing but pasta. Although before this word here they called all food in principle.
- And in 1819 the very first mechanism for drying pasta and spaghetti was created - of course, in Italy.
- In the same country there is an amazing genre of cinema called the spaghetti western. He was born in the 20th century and was especially popular in the 60s and 70s. For all this time, about 600 films were shot, and the shooting took place mainly in the southern deserts of Spain - it was there that it was possible to achieve the similarity of the views of the American wild West.
- Rossini, a well-known Italian composer, claimed to have cried just two times in his entire life. The first time he did this, he heard the amazing Paganini game. And the second time he was grieving over a self-cooked pasta dish, which he inadvertently dropped.
- In Holland, a driver who ate driving pasta was sentenced to eight weeks in prison.
- For the preparation of now popular products, Italians use only hard varieties of wheat, and in China they use rice flour.
Macaroni and their national characteristics in different countries
We still do not know who invented the pasta and where, and the name of the one who did it. But all over the world there are various products and dishes that are made from them.
Of course, pasta is mainly associated with Italy: after all, many believe that spaghetti were invented. But few people know that around the world there are also their own, traditional pasta.
European cuisine is characterized by various products mainly from durum wheat. The variety and size of pasta is striking in its diversity: here they are made completely different.
In Italy, pasta is known for its rich history: quite often pasta and spaghetti are almost a symbol of Italian cuisine. There are several categories: small pasta for soup, pasta for baking, such as lasagna, and pasta with some filling inside (ravioli, which we talked about earlier).
In Russia, we are used to seeing pasta of various shapes, which are mainly prepared as a side dish for the main course. Macaroni is divided into different categories, depending on the quality of the raw materials used for the production of pasta. We produce vermicelli, horns and various curly pasta.
In Central Asia, there is a popular and integral dish of Central Asian cuisine called lagman. The basis of this dish is long pasta, which bears an interesting name - chuzma.
Oriental cuisine is often associated with rice - because there rice is the main and most popular cereal. Consequently, pasta here is not made at all from wheat flour, but from rice. These products take much longer to cook and look very different from what we are used to: they are white or transparent and thinner. An example of such pasta is Chinese noodles or funchose.
In Japan, these products are also prepared from very unusual raw materials - bean starch. Such products in the Land of the Rising Sun are usually called saifun. An interesting national dish in Tunisia is nuasyr noodles made from semolina flour. Typically, it is served with lamb or chicken.
Pasta names all over the world
In Italy, pasta is called spaghetti - spaghetti. The word is formed from the plain spago, which translates as "thread."
After China and Italy, Abarians and Indians began to use pasta. The former called them rishta, and the latter - sevika. Both words in Russian are also translated as "thread."
Despite the fact that pasta was quite diverse, in Italy they came up with one common name, which we are already accustomed to - macaroni.