Popular Varieties of Pasta

Italy is well-known for three things: football, pizza and pasta. No need to question how pasta could be this popular since there are more than 400 kinds of pasta spread and sold worldwide.

It is a commonly thought that pasta came from Italy. Hundreds of years ago, China created noodles. Marco Polo was the one who brought this to Italy in 1295 after visiting China. Soon, this souvenir became a favorite, and the Italians started making it.

A researcher tried to challenge this story. The results showed that pasta came from Sicilia, Italy. The citizens there were said to be making pasta by the 12th century. The current position is that nobody knows which version is true.

Pasta is made of flour, water, and salts, which are cooked and formed into many shapes. Sometimes, it is also mixed with eggs and vegetables to create some colored pasta. To get the shapes, the dough is flattened before being cut and molded. It is ready to be served after boiling for some minutes.

To add delicious tastes, pasta is served with other ingredients or spices. There are some sauces usually used in serving pasta, such as bolognaise, tomato sauce, amatriciana, and carbonara. It can also be served with meat, cheese, and cream.

Outside Italy, pasta is often sold in dried. In some restaurants, it is cooked right before being served. Fresh pasta needs shorter cooking time, but it cannot be kept for a long time since it has high amount of water. Dried pasta can last up to 3 years since the water amount is only 10%. You can also find some pasta with ready-to-serve packages sold on markets.

The unique thing about pasta is its shapes which affects cooking time, consistency, ability to hold sauce, ease of eating, etc. Certain shapes are ideal for certain dishes and sauces. In Italy, there are more than 650 kinds of pasta, and the new ones are created every year.

FARFALLE - The shape is like a butterfly, with some serrations on each side. It is ideal for salad and main courses, especially when served with a creamy sauce.

LASAGNE -It is sold with the dimension 27cm x 5cm. It is available in 3 colors: yellow for grilled dishes, red for dishes with sauce, and green for dishes with spinach or other vegetables.

SPAGHETTI - This is the most popular shape which often served as a daily menu. With a long stick shape, it is be delicious with bolognaise sauce.

VERMICELLI - It is the short form of spaghetti. Serve it with seafood and meat, or add it to soup to get the most delicious taste.

CONCHIGLIONI - Shaped like shell, it is perfect for soups, salads, and main courses.

CANNELLONI - The shape is like a pipe. The diameter is 3 cm, and the length is 5 cm. The shorter one is called rigatoni. Cook it with meat and cheese in baked or boiled dishes. You can also fill the pipe with meat.

FUSILLI - It has a beautiful spiral shape. Cook it with cream tomato sauce and peas.

MACARONI - Like spaghetti, this is also popular. With a curved pipe shape, it is perfect for baked dishes like macaroni schotel and soups.

FETTUCCINE - The shape is flat and rather wide. You can find it in 3 different colors: green (which made of spinach essence), black (made of squid's liquid), and yellow (made of egg). Serve it with cheese, meat, vegetable, and seafood.

The Joy of Pasta

This blog is for all pasta lovers.  It will include the history of pasta, pasta recipies, the latest developments in the world of pasta and information about cooking with pasta. 

We hope you enjoy it!