I love pasta. It’s my go-to meal when I’m in a hurry. Guess what we had for dinner tonight? 
Thirteen Facts and Trivia about Pasta
1. They say Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy after his visit to China, but pasta in Italy can be traced back to the 4th century BC. A picture in an Etruscan tomb shows a group of natives making something that looks like pasta.
2. Pasta is great for those on a budget and is very versatile.
3. Pasta can come in different colors. Squid ink colors the black pasta, saffron for yellow pasta, spinach for green, saffron for yellow and tomatoes for red.
4. It’s said that Thomas Jefferson introduced macaroni to America after he ate and enjoyed macaroni in Naples.
5. Flat pasta is best with cream sauces while tomato sauces will cling to pasta shapes.
6. Pasta is best cooked al dente. The literal translation is “to the tooth”. Pasta should be firm yet still be tender when eaten.
7. Pasta is a good source of carbohydrates.
8. Most pasta is made using wheat flour with high quality pasta being made from durum wheat.
9. The BBC conned lots of people with their April Fool’s trick in 1957. They told people that spaghetti grew on trees and that severe frosts could affect the flavor of the spaghetti.
10. The word pasta comes from the Italian word paste.
11. Pasta should be eaten with only a fork.
12. Italians eat more pasta per year than anyone else.
13. Trendy men during the 18th century were called Macoronis. They wore fashionable clothes with very “high” hair and all the latest accoutrements of the time.
Do you like pasta? What is your favorite sort?
February 14th, 2013 at 2:16 am · Link
Great info on pasta. Ah, the spaghetti tree from the BBC – part of Brit broadcasting folklore, that one.
February 14th, 2013 at 12:06 pm · Link
That was an excellent trick and so successful!
February 14th, 2013 at 3:26 am · Link
You *knew* I’d have to comment on this one, right? LOL!
Pasta is one of my favorite foods – always has been – and now I’m in Italy, I’ve found all sorts of new ways to have it. My favorite type of pasta is tagliatelle, a broad, thin noodle which goes very well with my favorite sauce – sugo di cinghiale (wild boar sauce).
You say:
“The word pasta comes from the Italian word paste,” but that’s not quite correct. In Italian, “Paste” (pahs-teh) is the plural form of the word “Pasta”. (When a word ends in “a”, the plural frequently ends in “e”: La pasta/le paste.)
That might win you a few points in some sort of trivia contest. Heh. ;)
Happy TT!
February 14th, 2013 at 12:08 pm · Link
Ooh, okay. Thanks for that!
The wild boar sauce sounds interesting. Does it have chunks in it or is the sauce a smooth one?
February 14th, 2013 at 3:12 pm · Link
It’s a tomato base, and the meat is shredded – it is sooooooo good! My favorite version is made at my hubby’s aunt’s restaurant in the hills outside of Reggio Emilia. I get it almost every time we visit! LOL!
February 14th, 2013 at 4:50 am · Link
I love pasta. It’s one food that my husband and I disagree on, so I don’t cook it often. Yum…
February 14th, 2013 at 12:08 pm · Link
Luckily my hubby loves pasta. If he’s late home, which he was last night, pasta is a quick yet tasty meal.
February 14th, 2013 at 6:16 am · Link
I am a pasta devotee
February 14th, 2013 at 12:09 pm · Link
Me too, Sandy. You really can’t go wrong if you have some in the pantry.
February 14th, 2013 at 7:31 am · Link
Chuckled at no. 9. Does that trick really work on some people? :D
February 14th, 2013 at 12:11 pm · Link
If you can find the film clip online, watch it. They were very convincing, and remember that in 1957, a lot of people wouldn’t have known much about pasta. They went on about how they pick the spaghetti and make sure they’re all the same length.
February 14th, 2013 at 9:21 am · Link
Fun TT! My favorite is the very thin pasta.
*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
February 14th, 2013 at 12:12 pm · Link
Like spaghetti or linguini? I like penne but tagliatelle is good too.
February 14th, 2013 at 9:51 am · Link
Pasta is my go-to meal, too. Like you said, delicious, easy, and inexpensive.
February 14th, 2013 at 12:12 pm · Link
And you can add vegetables and sauces according to what you have on hand at the time. Very handy!
February 14th, 2013 at 10:54 am · Link
Did someone say pasta? I brought my fork…and a back up in case that one falls or something lol!
February 14th, 2013 at 12:13 pm · Link
LOL – I should have invited you for dinner last night. We had pasta :)
February 14th, 2013 at 1:53 pm · Link
I must have an Italian gene somewhere because I love pasta, not the mac and cheese kind but the Italian chef kind.
That spaghetti tree gag was a riot.
February 14th, 2013 at 3:45 pm · Link
I can’t even tell you how often I have to correct people on the origin of pasta…..
February 14th, 2013 at 4:07 pm · Link
Pasta is my comfort food. :)
February 14th, 2013 at 7:46 pm · Link
I had pasta tonight as well — macaroni. My favorites, though are meat tortellini and lasagne.
February 14th, 2013 at 9:47 pm · Link
I do like Pasta. My husband loves my italian sausage with sauteed green peppers and onions with curly pasta and pasta sauce.
February 15th, 2013 at 7:18 am · Link
LOL! that Panorama April Fool’s joke is a classic :-) They kept showing that on the telly for years afterwards. When i was a child I totally believed pasta grew on trees :-)
February 15th, 2013 at 7:38 am · Link
Oh my goodness. I have such a HUGE addiction to pasta. Forget chocolate. Give me a heaping plate of spaghetti! LOL. Great post, Shelley.
February 15th, 2013 at 9:46 am · Link
Now all I want is pasta…
February 15th, 2013 at 1:02 pm · Link
Pasta always calls to me. Although consumed universally (or at least internationally) I have noted that when it calls, it has an Italian accent. Delicioso !