Pasta has been an integral part of Italian cuisine for centuries. Some historical evidence conforms that first ever pasta was made and eaten in China and it dates back to 5,000 BC. The Italians have brought their pasta with them wherever they immigrated, so much so that today it can be considered a staple of international cuisine. Dried pasta was very popular by the 1300s due to its nutrition and long shelf life, making it ideal for long ship voyages. The voyages of discovery a century later brought pasta to every corner of the globe. During that time, new technology made making pasta in different shapes easier. Pasta became a part of Italian life thanks to these innovations.
Pasta products were first recorded in Italy in the 13th or 14th century. According to the Macaroni Journal, published by an association of food industries to promote pasta in the United States, Marco Polo imported pasta from China. In his book, Jeffrey Steingarten argues that Arabs introduced pasta to Sicily in the ninth century, adding that traces of pasta have also been found in ancient Greece and that Jane Grigson believes that Marco Polo was inspired by an advertisement from a Canadian spaghetti company in the 1920s or 1930s. The third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, is also credited with introducing pasta to America in 1789.
The word “macaroni” derives from the Sicilian phrase meaning to knead the dough vigorously, as early pasta making was a time-consuming, day-long process. Many Sicilian pasta recipes still include typical middle eastern ingredients, such as raisins and cinnamon, which may testify to their original, medieval origins. Originally a Sicilian staple, durum wheat thrives in Italy’s climate, spreading quickly to the mainland.
The pasta had been eaten for thousands of years before the invention of tomato sauce. Since tomatoes are not native to Europe, they were first introduced to the continent by Spanish explorer Cortez in 1519. Pasta and tomatoes soon became an iconic combination in Italy, and meatballs followed quickly after
Here are some historical photos that show how pasta was produced in the past.
