History of lasagna. Lasagna - history of origin and cooking recipes The arrangement of layers is an important issue

Lasagna is one of the most famous dishes of the national cuisine of Italy, which is popular all over the world. Lasagna today is a wheat dough that is first dried and then boiled or baked. And then it is layered with various fillings - minced meat, vegetables and mushrooms. Grated cheese must be added to the dish. And it is customary to bake it in the oven.

But this type of climbing took on relatively recently. At first it was a round flat cake made from wheat dough. The Greeks baked it, and it was called laganon. The inhabitants of Ancient Rome adopted the method of making bread from the Greeks, they began to cut it into strips and called it lagani (this is the plural of laganon). And in our time, in some regions of Italy, for example in Calabria, flat wide pasta, which is called tagliatelle throughout the world, is called lagana here.

There is another version of the origin of the word lasagna. According to her, this word comes from the Greek word lasanon and literally means “pot stove.” The same Romans borrowed it to designate the container in which lasagna is made and turned it into lasanum. And then the name transferred to the dish itself.

Everyone knows that the birthplace of lasagna is Italy, although the British and even the Scandinavian countries tried to challenge this. In England they claim that back in the time of King Richard II, in the 14th century, there was a dish similar to lasagna, and it was called “loseyns”. The recipe for lasana is said to be in one of the first cookbooks kept in the British Museum. When this statement by British researchers appeared, the Italians were struck to the quick and declared that no matter what this old English dish was called, it was not lasagna at all.

And according to the Scandinavian version, back in the Viking kitchen there was a dish that came into modern cuisine called “langkake”. In its composition it is really very similar to lasagna. Consists of bread flatbreads layered with cheese and meat sauce.

The first lasagne recipe documented in writing is in a 14th century manuscript by an anonymous author that was found near Naples. This manuscript was called “Cookbook” and according to the notes in it, lasagna was made like this: layers of dough were boiled, and then grated cheese and ground spices were placed in layers. Most likely the spices used were salt, pepper and sugar. Although it is possible that it was also saffron, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, since by the 14th century the Italians already knew these seasonings.

Russian lasagna is what you should try when ordering lunches at your Moscow office. Our lunch delivery also offers eggplant lasagna.

Many people know what lasagna is. But if you haven't tried this Italian dish yet, we highly recommend you do. Depending on the region, preparations may vary. Some make it with tomato sauce, others use bechamel. The filling can be not only minced meat, but also various sausages, seafood or even vegetables, fruits and berries. Lasagna is popular all over the world. Over time, it has undergone significant changes. What is lasagna today? Rather, it is a cooking method that involves baking a dish made from a layer of sheets of pasta with various fillings. There is no specific recipe that must be strictly followed. However, some nuances and recommendations should be taken into account.

The right dough is the key to a delicious dish

Lasagna pasta is now sold in almost every supermarket. But preparing it yourself is not at all difficult. You don't need any specific skills for this. To prepare you will need two types of flour - premium wheat and second (durum). To avoid making mistakes when choosing durum flour, look at the label. It must indicate GOST 16439-70. Take flour (250 grams of each type), mix and pour it onto the table in a heap. Make a well in the center and pour in four large eggs. Add salt and 1 tsp to taste. olive oil. Now you need to knead the dough. When it is ready, wrap it in cling film and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After this, form it into a sausage. Cut into equal parts. Sprinkle each piece with a little flour. Using a special machine or a regular rolling pin, roll out the dough into thin sheets. However, do not get carried away too much - the dough should not be transparent, otherwise it may tear. The optimal thickness of the finished sheets is 1.5-2 mm. Now cut the dough into even, long and wide strips. It is not recommended to store lasagna pasta for a long time, so it is better to use it all at once.

The main thing is the filling

To prepare a delicious filling for lasagna (ragout), we need any kind of meat. Often, minced meat is fried with vegetables and onions, and then stewed with tomato sauce or finely chopped tomatoes. A very tender stew is obtained by mixing pork, chicken and lean ground beef in equal proportions. Fry finely chopped onions in olive oil. When it acquires a light golden hue, add the minced meat and fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring continuously. The main thing is that the minced meat does not burn. After this, add to it either chopped tomatoes without skin. Salt and add spices - bay leaves and ground black pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat, remembering to stir constantly. Cool the finished filling and add bechamel.

Lasagna sauce

What is lasagna without this component? Of course, this is difficult to imagine. After all, there are many different ones. They come in creamy, brothy and, of course, tomato varieties. But still, béchamel sauce has become a classic and beloved by many. It is prepared from butter (50 grams), flour (2 tbsp) and cream (500 ml). Add flour to melted butter and fry for a couple of minutes. In another saucepan, bring the cream to a boil (but do not boil), add some salt. The hotter the cream, the less likely it is that lumps will appear in the sauce. The cream should be poured into the toasted flour in small portions and constantly mixed thoroughly. The finished sauce should have a consistency similar to sour cream.

Be sure to prepare this dish so you know first-hand what lasagna is. It's very tasty and filling!

Lasagna is popular today all over the world.

Lasagna(Italian lasagne listen)) is a popular traditional dish of Italian cuisine, made from several layers of dried and then boiled or baked dough, interspersed with a variety of fillings and covered in béchamel sauce. Layers of filling can be made from minced meat, meat stew, cheese, tomato, spinach and other vegetables.

Story

Pasta for making lasagna

Today, lasagna has undoubtedly conquered the whole world. And the point is not only that it can be tasted in almost any country. Today, the dish’s pedigree is defended by several nations – Italians, British and Scandinavians. The most plausible and proven version is the Italian origin of the dish.

The "grandmother" of modern lasagna was a flat, round wheat tortilla. The Romans, who adopted Greek bread, began to cut it into strips and call it lagani, i.e. (plural - laganon). In some regions of Italy (for example, Calabria), the wide, flat pasta of tagliatelle is called lagana.

Another etymological version says that the word “lasagna” comes from the Greek lasanon (translated as “pot oven”). The Romans borrowed this word, changing it to lasanum. This is what they called the dishes in which the distant “ancestors” of lasagna were prepared. Gradually, the dish itself began to be called this - “lasagna” was born.

Lasagna takes pride of place in Italian cuisine

The first Italian recipe for lasagna was found in a 14th-century manuscript by an unknown author discovered in the vicinity of Naples. The manuscript was called Liber de coquina (Cookbook). In accordance with the recipe in the Middle Ages, lasagna was prepared as follows: sheets of dough were boiled in boiling water, spices and grated cheese were placed between the layers.

Nowadays there are so many Italian restaurants all over the world that you can easily run into counterfeits or imitation of a traditional dish. To taste real lasagna, go to Italy to some village restaurant. There you will probably taste real lasagna.

Preparation

Lasagna with asparagus and spinach

Lasagna is one of those dishes that you can constantly improvise when preparing. And, as you know, there is no limit to creativity. Lasagna fillings can vary from mushroom or vegetable stew, minced meat to seafood. Lasagna consists of several layers of dough filled with fillings. The dish is poured with bechamel sauce and sprinkled with cheese. Lasagna is popular today not only in Italy, but throughout the world. And thanks to the abundance of recipes, every housewife can organize an “Italian menu” at home. There would be a desire!

Recipes

Lasagna with tomatoes and cheese

Vegetable lasagna

Ingredients: 8-9 sheets of lasagne, 1 eggplant, 1 zucchini, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 300 g champignons, 500 g tomatoes, 200 ml 10% sour cream, 150 g grated cheese, 2 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Grate or chop carrots, onions, eggplant and zucchini. Fry onions and carrots in oil, add zucchini and eggplant, fry for 5-7 minutes. Then add mushrooms (preferably fresh, but canned ones will also work). Simmer for 5 minutes, add chopped tomatoes and sour cream. Mix everything, add salt and pepper to taste.

Place a layer of filling in the pan, place 3 lasagna sheets on it, then again the filling, lasagne sheets and again the filling, press lightly. Sprinkle the top sheets with grated cheese. Place in a hot oven and bake at 180* for 20-25 minutes. Low calorie and delicious!

Lasagna with ham and cheese

One of the most famous and beloved cuisines in the world, which has produced many wonderful world-famous dishes, is, of course, Italian. In all countries of the world there are restaurants dedicated exclusively to this cuisine. But even when you come to any restaurant, you can always find several Italian dishes on the menu, and one of the most popular is lasagna. Almost everyone knows its pleasant taste, many even cook it at home, but few people know origin story of lasagna. And the history goes back many years, the first mentions date back to the 14th century. And initially she had a completely different appearance than we are used to seeing her.

In its original form, it was a round, flattened flatbread made from wheat flour. The authors of this flatbread were the Greeks, and later this culinary skill was adopted by the inhabitants of Rome, with the exception that they cut the flatbread into long strips, and called them “Lagani”. But there is a second version of the origin story of the name lasagna. According to this version, the name was derived from the Greek “Lasanon”, which translates as pot stove. That is, the name came from the vessel in which the dish was prepared and over time the Romans began to call it “Lasanum”.

Everyone is accustomed to the fact that lasagna is Italian cuisine and, accordingly, its homeland is Italy. But the British completely disagree with this statement. After all, in the 14th century they also had a similar recipe called “Loseyns”. Moreover, this recipe is even mentioned in one of the very first and oldest cookbooks in Britain. Therefore, the history of the origin of lasagna was questioned by the British, which caused a storm of indignation among the Italians. Despite the arguments of the British, the Italians stood their ground and said that the book described no lasagna.

But the first recipe for lasagna was mentioned in a manuscript that was found near Naples. And it contained the following description: pre-boiled dough sheets were layered with cheese and spices.

Of course, in our time, many variations have appeared and the main products necessarily include meat or vegetables, as well as bechamel sauce. In addition, you can prepare a festive meat dish, or you can also prepare a vegetarian one using exclusively vegetables or mushrooms.

Step-by-step recipe for making lasagna bolognese at home

It’s worth noting right away that despite the multi-component nature, the step-by-step recipe for making lasagna is quite simple, and also involves the use of ready-made dough, which can be purchased in all large supermarkets. But those who are not looking for easy ways can prepare it themselves.

Ingredients for making lasagna:

  • Beef - 0.7 kg
  • Onion - 1 piece
  • Bell pepper - 1 small or half a large one
  • Blanched tomato - 0.8 kg
  • Tomato paste - 100 g
  • Garlic - 2 cloves
  • Flour - 50 g
  • Butter - 50 g
  • Milk - 0.6 l
  • Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp. or to taste
  • Hard cheese - 0.5 kg
  • Dough - 0.25 kg
  • Oregano, basil to taste

All these products will allow you to prepare a classic lasagna recipe. Bolognese.

Its preparation begins with the fact that you need to make minced meat using a meat grinder. In order for the minced meat to be juicy, it is important to prepare it yourself, and not buy it ready-made in a store, because you cannot be 100% sure of the quality of store-bought minced meat. The first component of the bolognese sauce is ready. Next, peel and finely dice the onion, chop two cloves of garlic and also dice the bell pepper. Place a saucepan on the stove, heat it up and pour in one tablespoon of olive oil, and add the vegetables to fry, stirring frequently. It is necessary to fry until the onion becomes transparent, then add salt and pepper to taste. Now you can add minced beef to the vegetables, mix everything well. While the minced meat is fried, mash the previously blanched, skinned tomatoes in a bowl with a fork. When the minced meat turns grey, add mashed tomatoes and tomato paste, season with dried oregano. Simmer to remove excess liquid.

Next stage - béchamel sauce. First, we make a “roux”: throw 50g of butter into a frying pan, let it melt completely and pour in 50g of flour. Mix everything thoroughly and fry until the mixture acquires a slightly golden color. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, the milk should warm up a little. With constant stirring, add the milk to the “roux” (the heat should be minimal). To ensure that the sauce is well mixed and no lumps form, it is best to use a whisk to mix, add nutmeg and remove from heat.

Now you can start putting everything together in layers. Grease the bottom of the mold with a thin layer of bechamel, put a sheet of lasagna dough, pour bolognese sauce on top and sprinkle with grated cheese, cover with a sheet of dough, grease with bechamel. There should be five similar layers. Spread the last sheet of dough with bechamel sauce and sprinkle with cheese (ideally, it will be Parmesan, but you can replace it with mozzarella). Place the pan in an oven preheated to 220 degrees for about half an hour, cover with a lid or foil, remove 10 minutes before readiness to allow the top to brown. Bon appetit!

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Despite the richness of Russian national cuisine, more and more adherents and lovers of dishes from different countries of the world are appearing in our country. None of us will be surprised by dishes of Japanese or Chinese cuisine, Thai, Mediterranean or any other. If you want to try something special, go to a restaurant and choose a dish to suit your taste. But many dishes can be prepared at home. There would be a desire and the necessary products.

One of the favorite dishes in our country has become a traditional dish of Italian cuisine. Lasagna is made from layers of dough, interspersed with fillings and topped with sauce (usually bechamel). Layers of filling can be made from meat stew or minced meat, tomatoes, spinach, other vegetables and Parmesan cheese. Sometimes lasagna dough turns bright green when mashed spinach is added to it.

The first lasagnas, which first appeared in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, were baked in ovens in special pans without a handle. By the way, there is a version that the word “lasagna” itself originally meant the container in which this dish was prepared. In the 16th century, the recipe for lasagna was borrowed and transformed in its own way by Polish cuisine, which is why lazanka appeared. Gradually, lasagna conquered the whole world and became one of the most popular dishes.

Lasagna dough is prepared from the same flour as pasta: exclusively from durum wheat. Now on sale and we have ready-made dry sheets of dough for lasagna, which you need to first boil, like pasta, and then start making the dish itself. Although in some recipes the sheets are not pre-boiled.

There are many recipes for this dish. It is enough to replace some ingredients with others, and you will have a new lasagna.

Modern lasagna is prepared, as a rule, from six layers of dough, with minced meat, mushrooms, vegetables placed on each layer, and a few pieces of butter on top. And all this is baked in the oven. In short, this delicious casserole is worth preparing and then eating with gusto. True, the process of making it is not too easy. This requires certain skills and time. Before you start baking, you need to prepare all the necessary products, but the result will exceed all expectations. Everyone will be happy, the main thing is the hostess when she hears praise for a delicious dish.

All we have to do is carefully study some recipes and start preparing lasagna.

If you were unable to buy ready-made lasagna plates, you can always make the dough yourself, especially since this process is not as complicated as it might seem. So, let's try it!

Lasagna dough

Required: 300 g flour, 3 eggs, a pinch of salt (approximately 1 teaspoon), 4 tbsp. spoons of water, 1 tbsp. spoon of vegetable oil.

From flour, eggs, salt, a small amount of water, if necessary, knead a soft elastic dough. Gather it into a ball, cover with a damp towel and leave for 1 hour.

Roll out the finished dough thinly in portions on a board sprinkled with flour, and cut out cakes measuring 15 x 7 cm. Bring salted water and butter to a boil, cook the dough cakes in it in portions of 4 sheets, then lay out on a towel.

Lasagna Barilla

Required: 12 sheets of lasagna dough (17 x 9 cm each sheet), 500-600 minced meat, 1 glass of dry white wine, 25 g of tomato paste, 20 g of flour, 100 g of champignons, 1 liter of vegetable broth, 1-2 cloves of garlic, 4 sweet peppers, 1 large carrot and onion, 200 g tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, 200 g grated hard cheese, so that it melts.
For the Bechamel sauce: 1 liter of milk, 45 g of butter, 45 g of flour, ¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg.

First, let's prepare the filling. To do this, you need to prepare vegetable broth from those vegetables that you like best. Pass the meat through a meat grinder with a large grill. It could be pork, beef or poultry. You can also prepare mixed minced meat. Fry the minced meat for 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook until it has completely evaporated. After this, add tomato paste, flour, chopped mushrooms and broth. Cook for 20-30 minutes over medium heat.

Fry whole cloves of garlic, sweet peppers and onions, cut into half rings, and carrots into strips until golden brown.

Place layers of lasagna on a greased baking sheet, filling them with potato and zucchini filling. The last layer should be the dough. Pour tomato sauce over lasagne and cover with foil. Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and let the lasagna brown for 5 minutes.

Have fun in the kitchen and enjoy your meal!