Different types pasta is very different from each other in size and appearance, so you should understand their varieties.

Pasta has been around for a long time. So long ago that it is no longer possible to establish the exact year of their birth. It is only known that the ancient Egyptians stocked up something like noodles to eat on their way to the realm of the dead. Well, the path is probably not a short one, and smart Africans guessed that pasta does not spoil, much earlier than modern hikers. According to another version, the product most reminiscent of modern pasta appeared in the East, in Japan and China. So far on New Year's table in Japan, they put long, long noodles so that the life of the participants in the holiday is as long as possible.

According to some historians, we owe the appearance of pasta in Europe to the Italian traveler Marco Polo, who brought this valuable product from China. However, many experts do not agree with this theory and believe that the Europeans thought of making pasta completely on their own. But be that as it may, Italy is still considered the “center of pasta life”. There, pasta is one of the most beloved national dishes. And the emergence of most varieties of pasta, as well as the invention of a number of sauces for them, we owe it to the Italians.

What are they useful for?

● For mood. Pasta contains a lot of B vitamins, which help to cope with stress and headaches. And the amino acid tryptophan, found in spaghetti, improves sleep and relieves some forms of depression.

● For skin. Vitamin E prevents wrinkles and other signs of aging.

● For the heart and blood vessels. It is known that complex carbohydrates, which pasta is exceptionally rich in, help lower blood cholesterol levels, which means that pasta lovers are not threatened by many cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis and senile memory loss.

● For digestion. In flour spaghetti coarse grinding available a large number of fiber, which means they are useful for those who have problems with the intestines.

Feel the difference!

Different types of pasta are very different from each other in size and appearance, so you should understand the varieties, because sometimes “native” Italian names of pasta are written on packs instead of the usual designations: “horns”, “bows”, “shells”

Horns and spirals:

● Rotini. Very short spirals, look like small springs. Can be eaten hot or cold with very thick sauces or add to pasta salads.

● Fusilli. Longer than rotini, and also twisted. They are served with almost all sauces, added to soups.

Hollow pasta:

● Ditalini. Small, very short pipes, in Italian their name means "thimble". Use in soups or pasta salads.

● Cannelloni. Large, long pipes. They are usually stuffed meat fillings and baked with sauce.

● Pechutelle. Long, thin hollow tubes. Can replace spaghetti, they are often used for cooking meat dishes, added to vegetable stew.

Long pasta:

● Capellini. Long and very thin. They are sometimes also called "angel hair". Used only hot light sauces, broths or simply mixed with olive oil and boiled vegetables.

● Fettuccini. Long, flat and wide pasta. Serve hot or cold with thick sauces.

● Spaghetti. Their name translates as "little ropes". They are eaten, as you know, hot with all kinds of sauces. Sometimes used to make casseroles.

● Lasagna. Long and very wide pasta. They are laid in a form in layers, smearing each layer with thick tomato or cream sauce, and baked.

With sauce

Pasta cannot be cooked without sauce. The Italians make it from everything that comes to hand. Minced meat, bacon, vegetables, seafood, cream and olive oil. In general, there is enough room for imagination. The only rule to follow is that the longer and thinner the pasta, the thinner the sauce should be.

There are among the sauces and their celebrities:

● Bolognese - a sauce made from minced meat and tomatoes.

● Carbonara - includes cream, bacon and white wine.

● Frutto di mare - sauce with seafood.

● Diabolo - with hot peppers.

● Salsa di tomato - tomato sauce, which is cooked over very low heat with the addition of basil and marjoram.

As for cheese, it can be flavored with any pasta dishes, stern of those that include seafood. The cheese you sprinkle on hot spaghetti should be hard cheese. Classic variant- parmesan.

How to eat them

With short horns and spirals, everything is clear - they are eaten with a fork or spoon. But with long spaghetti, everything is much more complicated. The “bundle” of spaghetti is separated from the total mass, grabbed between the prongs of the fork and wound around it. It is not supposed to cut spaghetti with a knife - firstly, it is considered bad form, and secondly, when you cut long pasta, drops of sauce can splatter you and your tablemates.

Which ones to choose

It is believed that best pasta- These are those made from durum wheat. They get fat less from them, they do not boil soft and do not stick together during the cooking process. You can identify them by the corresponding inscription on the package. However, sometimes “hard” pasta is labeled differently. You may come across the mark "group A", "1st class" or "durum" - these inscriptions also indicate what is in front of you quality product made from durum wheat. After reading the label, evaluate appearance pasta. If they have a rough surface, there are traces of unmixed dough in the dough, white or unnatural yellow, crumbs and flour in a pack - you do not need such spaghetti. good pasta should be smooth, creamy, with tiny black dots (remnants of cereal shells).

Only the facts

1480 kg weighed the largest bowl of pasta. This record was set in San Francisco. The bowl was 91 centimeters high and 3.05 meters wide.

4000 years old noodle pot. It was discovered in the summer of 2005 during excavations of the ancient settlement of Lajian on the banks of the Yellow River in China.

1000:100:10 - the classic ratio when cooking pasta: 1 liter of water, 100 g of pasta and 10 g of salt.

If all the pasta eaten by Italians in a year were spaghetti, its total length would be 600,000,000 km. This is enough to wrap around the Earth 15,000 times, and the water in which this paste was boiled would be enough for 130 Olympic swimming pools!

200 kilocalories, 40 g of carbohydrates, less than 1 g of fat and only 1 g of salt contains a glass of spaghetti.

Interesting

Macaroni brought to prison. Dutch driver Martin Weens, who drove a truck and ate pasta at the same time, was sentenced to 8 weeks in prison for dangerous driving. A Dutch police patrol from a helicopter filmed how Weens, driving a car, held a pot of pasta with his left hand, and a fork with his right. At the same time, the driver held the steering wheel of a 40-ton truck only with his knees.

At the trial, the Dutchman pleaded guilty, adding that his method of driving was dangerous, although he noted that he only ate on the go when he felt it was safe. Weens claims he warmed up pasta at a gas station shortly before he was pulled over by police. The court for such driving sentenced Weens to 8 weeks in prison, and also deprived the Dutchman of his driver's license for a year, deciding after this period to pass the truck driving test again.

pasta packaging raw material labeling

Pasta (maccheroni) - products made from durum wheat flour, sometimes with the addition of eggs, shaped like tubes. Cord products different shapes are called "spaghetti" or "vermicelli" - depending on their length, that is, translated from Italian - "ropes" or "worms". Only the thinnest tubes are called macaroni in Italy. Thicker tubes are called mezzacita, and the thickest pasta is called cita.

Pasta has been known to Russia not so long ago - just a little over 200 years. It is known that Peter I recruited craftsmen abroad for the construction of ships. One of them, named Fernando, came from Italy. The Italian, himself a pasta lover, passed on the secret of their preparation to a Russian entrepreneur for whom he worked. The latter appreciated the benefits of the new product (pasta cost five to six times more expensive than the the best flour) and fixed them home production. The owner, of course, put money in his pocket, and gave the Italian only the glory of "pasta". But Fernando took revenge on the owner and sold the secret to more generous entrepreneurs.

The year of origin of the pasta industry in Russia is considered to be 1797, when the first pasta factory was opened in Odessa.

Pasta was made here. the best varieties wheat flour, technology has a large share manual labor. In 1913, there were already 39 pasta enterprises in Russia, producing about 30 thousand tons of products per year. Technological process has been significantly improved. wholemeal flour poured into the kneaders of dough mixers, filled with water and mixed. The resulting lumpy dough on the dough rolls was turned into a bound mass, which was rolled into a tape on rollers. In the manufacture of pasta or noodles, the tape was rolled into a roll weighing 30-50 kilograms, laid in a press cylinder. Noodles were usually obtained by cutting the tape on special machines - noodle cutters. Strands of products were cut with a knife, hung on poles or laid out on frames and dried in chamber dryers with steam or heat heating. In the southern cities, the so-called Neapolitan drying method was used: for the day, pasta was taken out into the air, and at night it was cleaned in the basement. During the day, the products dried up, and at night they dampened. With such a long (about a week) method of drying, the products acquired strength, special taste and aroma.

And today the pasta industry continues to develop at an accelerated pace.

At the present time, significant qualitative changes have taken place in the macarindustrial industry. Most of the pharmacists have acquired the latest technology, use the latest technology and are able to develop quality products that meet the requirements of the world's first standards.

The origins of pasta are lost in the darkness of millennia.

The first mention of pasta (or flour paste) was found in Etruscan burials dating back to the 4th century BC. BC. The bas-reliefs depict objects kitchen utensils for cooking pasta.

In the 1st century AD. the chef Apicius mentions in his cookbook a dish reminiscent of modern lasagna.

Approximately around 1000 AD the cook of the mighty Patriarch of Aquileia, Martino Corno, wrote the book “De arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e macaroni siciliani” (“The Art of Cooking Sicilian Pasta and Vermicelli”).

Pasta was well known in Arab countries, where it is still called "maccaroni". From these countries, pasta spread to Greece and Sicily (at that time a former Arab colony).

Palermo can be considered the first official capital of pasta. It was here that historical sources were first found, which spoke about the manufacture of dry pasta on an industrial scale. In 1150, the Arab geographer Al-Idrizi writes in his report that in Trabia, about 30 km. from Palermo, "flour paste is made in abundance in the form of cords, and then transported everywhere, to Calabria and to many Muslim and Christian countries, even on ships."

The first “official” mention of pasta is found in the notarial act of inventory of property for the will: “a basket full of pasta”. The document dates from 1279. A document from 1366 attests to the production of dried pasta in Liguria. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the production of noodles becomes very widespread, and in 1574 the Guild of Noodle Producers is founded in Genoa.

In the 17th century, a small technological revolution took place in Naples - the invention of a mechanical press. The use of a mechanical press made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of the production process and greatly reduce the price of pasta. From now on, pasta becomes true folk food. The proximity of Naples to the sea (as in the case of Liguria and Sicily) made it possible to dry pasta. Dried pasta could be stored for a long time.

Until the 18th century, pasta dough was kneaded by feet in workshops. In 1740, the famous engineer Cesare Spadacchini, commissioned by the Neapolitan king Fernando II, introduced new technology, which consisted of adding boiling water to freshly ground flour and replacing foot kneading with specially designed machines with bronze details.

In the 19th century pasta production reaches industrial scale worthy of their time. The introduction of machines and mechanisms in the production of pasta entails the development of the pasta market, increased competition among producers and an increase in pasta exports overseas. The process of sifting flour is reaching a qualitatively new level; a hydraulic press and steam mills are being put into use.

The 19th century also brought with it the ability to drill holes in almost any shape into the bronze die-discs of pasta presses. The assortment of pasta manufacturers began to number up to 150-200 items.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the process of artificial drying and air conditioning makes the pasta production process available to all regions of Italy.

The best for the production of pasta was considered durum wheat Taganrog, imported from Russia. The Russian port of Taganrog shipped thousands of tons of durum wheat, so beloved by pasta producers. At that time, Italian pasta factories simply could not do without wheat from Russia. An old brochure for the Ligurian Pasta Factory, half of which was exported to New York State, proudly describes "Taganrog Pasta." Unfortunately, the import of Taganrog flour was interrupted after the 1917 revolution. And Italian producers had to find a replacement for Taganrog wheat. But until now, Taganrog durum wheat is considered unsurpassed in its qualities for the production of pasta.

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Text: www.1-mk.ru

Macaroni - tubular products made from durum wheat flour, completely dried dough. Other similar products, such as spaghetti or noodles, are also produced in the same way. Now absolutely everyone knows about these widespread ingredients. And what was in antiquity, before there were various culinary masterpieces and intricate dishes? Who really invented pasta and in what country?

The very first mention of pasta

The history of pasta is actually incredibly confusing. The same can be said about 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 very ancient times. They appeared even earlier than Chinese noodles, by about five hundred years. It was believed that pasta was created in Etruscan times, but the evidence for this is not strong enough. Archaeologists have found a needle that looks like a sewing needle. It was soon decided that this tool was used to wrap the dough from which the pasta itself is made.

There is a popular opinion that pasta was popular as far back as the 4th century BC with the Egyptians. During excavations in the tombs, drawings were found that depicted something similar to cooking a kind of noodles. 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 culinary specialist back in the 1st century. In this book, the first recipes for lasagna were presented. Apicus in his work writes about the preparation of minced meat, which is laid out in the layers of this dish. Pasta in the form of lasagna was common in ancient Greece and in ancient Rome. And vermicelli appeared in medieval Italy a little later.

Story

It is not known who invented pasta, and the name of the one who first proposed it. But they have a rich and interesting history.

In the 10th century italian chef Martin Korno wrote a book called " culinary arts about Sicilian pasta". Products from dough prepared in this way, on Italian called pasta, but in those years the word pasta was the name of all food in general.

In a document of 1244, the products that were subject to the ban were named. This list included the so-called pasta lissa - pasta from soft wheat. By the 12th century, even legislators monitored the quality of the product - this proves the importance of these products in people's lives.

Strips of a kind of dried text appeared quite often until the 13th century. Pasta from them often appeared on the tables of Sicily. Dishes made from sun-dried dough were cooked with various tasty additions.

There is an opinion that pasta first appeared in China, and only in 1292 Marco Polo, an Italian traveler, brought them to Italy. But when he discovered pasta in China, he only implied that the Chinese create the same pasta as they do in Italy.

Medical records of the emperor's medicines written by Xiao Gong have been found in China. In them he wrote various recipes and recommendations for their use. In one of the entries, one could find advice on eating hot buckwheat noodles. It was believed that it eliminates harmful energy and various diseases. And from excess weight and to preserve the youth of the body, the physician advised to eat rice and

And in 2005, archaeologists discovered ancient pottery along the Yellow River. On one of the vessels they found very old noodles, the age of which was considered to be four thousand years. This proves once again that in ancient times in Asian countries they also used pasta, otherwise - Who invented them? This means that the first such pasta began to be eaten right here, in China. Although, of course, this does not exclude the fact that various pasta products were also used in ancient Italy.

Italy and China

So who invented pasta and where? There is no doubt that both Italy and China have been familiar with these products since ancient times. More surprising is that other countries did not even know about such products. The world's most popular flat cakes. However, lasagna is considered almost the progenitor of all pasta and is the same flatbread. This clears things up a bit. It turns out that noodles and pasta are just logical derivatives of lasagna. However, this is not an indisputable fact. Therefore, there is no exact answer to the question of in which country pasta was invented.

Ravioli, tortellini and dumplings

In the middle of the 13th century, peculiar stuffed pasta appeared in Italian cuisine, called ravioli and tortellini. The filler they have is completely different, but mostly it is meat, cheese or spinach. Soon, derivatives of Italian pasta stuffed, otherwise - familiar to us, Russians, dumplings. In China, won tones were later made, in Tibet - mo-mo, and among the Jews - kreplach. No wonder it is believed that many forms of pasta come from the Middle East itself.

Who Invented Instant Pasta?

Now noodles are widely known all over the world, which can be cooked in just five minutes. All you need to do is empty the contents of the sachet 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 person who invented pasta fast food. Today they are indispensable for too busy people, with limited time.

Who invented naval pasta?

Naval pasta served mainly as food for sailors and various travelers in the Middle Ages. Now it's considered a classic. Soviet recipe. It became especially widely known after the end of the Second World War and represents boiled pasta mixed with fried minced meat or stew.

• Around the world there are about 600 various kinds pasta.
• In Italy, pasta is known as pasta. Although earlier this word was called here all the 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 spaghetti western. It was born in the 20th century and was especially popular in the 60s and 70s. During all this time, about 600 films were shot, and the shooting took place mainly in the southern deserts of Spain - it was there that one could achieve a similarity of views of the American wild West.
• Rossini, the famous Italian composer, claimed to have only cried twice in his entire life. The first time he did this was when he heard the amazing performance of Paganini. And the second time, he grieved over a pasta dish he made himself, which he carelessly dropped.
• In the Netherlands, a driver who ate pasta while driving was sentenced to eight weeks in prison.
• For the preparation of now popular products, Italians use only hard varieties wheat, while rice flour is used in China.

Macaroni and their national characteristics in different countries

We still do not know who invented pasta and where, and the name of the person who made it. But all over the world there are various products and dishes that are prepared from them.

Of course, pasta is associated mainly with Italy: after all, according to many, spaghetti was invented there. But few people know that all over the world also have their own traditional pasta.

For European cuisine characterized by various products mainly from durum wheat. The sizes and shapes of pasta are striking in their 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 here: 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 is mainly cooked as a side dish for the main course. Pasta 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 figured 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 is worn interesting name- plague.

Oriental cuisine is often associated with rice - after all, rice is the main and most popular cereal there. Consequently, pasta here is not made from wheat flour at all, but from rice flour. These products are cooked much longer, and outwardly they are very different from what we are used to: they are white or transparent and thinner. As an example of such pasta can be given Chinese noodles or funchose.

In Japan, these products are also prepared from very unusual raw materials - bean starch. Such products in the country rising sun commonly referred to as a saiphoon. And interesting national dish in Tunisia is nuasyr noodles made from semolina flour. As a rule, it is served with lamb or chicken.

Pasta names around the world

In Italy, pasta is called spaghetti. The word is derived from the simple spago, which translates as "thread".

After China and Italy, Abars and Indians began to use pasta. The former called them rishta, and the latter called sevika. Both words are also translated into Russian as "thread".

Despite the fact that pasta was quite diverse, in Italy they came up with one common name that we are already used to - macaroni.

Who has never eaten pasta? You probably won't find such a person anywhere. Indeed, under the same name "pasta" a huge assortment of dough products has been assembled - these are ordinary vermicelli and horns, and long spaghetti, and pasta sheets for lasagna, etc. With this product already exists great amount recipes that are quick and easy to prepare. But few people know how and when pasta appeared, as well as where they come from. In fact, the history of the origin of pasta is fascinating not only thanks to interesting facts but also the myths and legends that surround them..

History of the origin of pasta - where did pasta come from

Most, of course, will say that pasta is a traditional dish Italian cuisine, and they will be right in some way ... After all, it was Italian merchants who spread pasta everywhere in Europe, filling the holds of their ships with pasta during long voyages many thousands of kilometers from their homeland.

It was the people from Genoa who first brought pasta to Russia, and this happened during the time of Peter the Great. The well-known reformer and admirer of everything European often invited foreign craftsmen to his place, one of whom was an Italian shipbuilder and brought a certain amount of pasta as a gift to the royal court. The dish was liked, it quickly took root among the people. And here industrial production pasta in our country began with a factory in the city of Odessa. It is noteworthy that it was not the Russians and not the Italians who opened it, but the French.

There is an opinion that pasta is a dish Greek origin, because literally "pasta" from ancient Greek is translated as "food made from flour." But, apart from this fact, the existence of pasta in ancient Greece is practically not confirmed by anything.

In the Roman Empire, during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, around 600 AD, the first cookbooks. And they had recipes for pasta dishes that were only slightly different from modern ones! However, this is our era. And the history of pasta is much older.

During the excavation of the ancient pyramids in Egypt, a large number of images of people engaged in the preparation of noodles were found. Moreover, the technology was not very different from the current one - the dough was rolled out, cut into pieces and dried. Whether pasta was imported from outside or they were invented on the spot is still unknown to science.

But still, the most ancient references to pasta belong to the Chinese. During the excavations of ancient cities dating back to about 4000 BC, the remains of dishes with petrified noodles were found! Also in China, a huge number of references to pasta in folklore - fairy tales, myths, legends. Beliefs are associated with pasta and folk superstitions. It turns out that China is the birthplace of everyone's favorite pastry products, and not Italy at all.

To date, there are a huge number of facts about pasta. We have prepared the most interesting ones for you.

• In Italy pasta is called "pasta";
• Around the world there are about 600 types of pasta;
• Italians use to make pasta. hard varieties wheat;
• In 1819, the first spaghetti drying machine was invented in Italy;
• Composer Rossini once wrote that he cried only 2 times in his life. The first time, when I heard Paganini play, and the second time, when I dropped a pasta dish that he made himself;
• Dutch driver was sentenced to 8 weeks in jail for eating pasta while driving;
• In Italy, there is such a genre of film as spaghetti western. About 600 films were made in this genre in the 60s.

Sauces for pasta

Now we eat pasta with meat, vegetables, milk, various seasonings, etc. But according to tradition, pasta is usually eaten with sauce. And for this you need to cook them yourself from fresh products.

• Bolognese: chopped meat, tomatoes, red wine and greens;
• Barbonara: bacon, cream and Parmesan cheese;
• Norm: pork fat, onions and tomatoes;
• Napoletana: tomatoes, fresh vegetables and greens.

Although each country has its own pasta ... Unites them excellent taste, ease of preparation and popularity, which peaked in the twentieth century. With the development of the industrial world, plants and factories began to produce much large quantity macarons, and they actually filled the world. Such is the history of pasta.