An early 5th century cookbook describes a dish called lagana that consisted of layers of dough with meat stuffing, an ancestor of modern-day lasagna. Writing in the 2nd century, Athenaeus of Naucratis provides a recipe for lagana which he attributes to the 1st century Chrysippus of Tyana: sheets of dough made of wheat flour and the juice of crushed lettuce, then flavoured with spices and deep-fried in oil. In the 1st century AD writings of Horace, lagana (singular: laganum) were fine sheets of fried dough and were an everyday foodstuff. The first concrete information on pasta products in Italy dates to the 13th or 14th centuries. Making pasta illustration from the 15th century edition of Tacuinum Sanitatis, a Latin translation of the Arabic work Taqwīm al-sihha by Ibn Butlan

Pasta may be enriched or fortified, or made from whole grains.įirst attested in English in 1874, the word pasta comes from Italian pasta, in turn from Latin pasta, latinisation of the Greek παστά, pasta, 'barley porridge'. In terms of nutrition, cooked plain pasta is 31% carbohydrates (mostly starch), 6% protein, and low in fat, with moderate amounts of manganese, but pasta generally has low micronutrient content.

Pasta sauces similarly may vary in taste, color and texture. Other dishes may be portioned larger and used for dinner. Some pasta dishes are served as a small first course or for light lunches, such as pasta salads. Pasta dishes are generally simple, but individual dishes vary in preparation. A third category is pasta al forno, in which the pasta is incorporated into a dish that is subsequently baked in the oven. Īs a category in Italian cuisine, both fresh and dried pastas are classically used in one of three kinds of prepared dishes: as pasta asciutta (or pastasciutta), cooked pasta is plated and served with a complementary sauce or condiment a second classification of pasta dishes is pasta in brodo, in which the pasta is part of a soup-type dish. Common forms of pasta include long and short shapes, tubes, flat shapes or sheets, miniature shapes for soup, those meant to be filled or stuffed, and specialty or decorative shapes. For example, the pasta form cavatelli is known by 28 different names depending upon the town and region. In Italy, the names of specific pasta shapes or types often vary by locale. Fresh pastas available in grocery stores are produced commercially by large-scale machines.īoth dried and fresh pastas come in a number of shapes and varieties, with 310 specific forms known by over 1,300 documented names. Fresh pasta is traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines. Most dried pasta is produced commercially via an extrusion process, although it can be produced at home. Pastas are divided into two broad categories: dried ( pasta secca) and fresh ( pasta fresca).

Pasta is a staple food of Italian cuisine. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, are sometimes used in place of wheat flour to yield a different taste and texture, or as a gluten-free alternative. Pasta ( US: / ˈ p ɑː s t ə/, UK: / ˈ p æ s t ə/ Italian pronunciation: ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking.

Wheat or spinach pasta vs plain pasta