Pasta

Pasta is a special kind of food made from a simple mix of wheat flour and water, or sometimes eggs. The dough is shaped into sheets or different forms and then cooked by boiling or baking. It comes from Italy, where people have been making it for a very long time.

Originally, pasta was made only with a strong type of wheat called durum, but now there are many kinds, including those without gluten for people who need it. This makes pasta enjoyable for everyone.

Today, pasta is a key part of Italian meals and is loved all around the world for its tasty and easy-to-make dishes.

Categories of pasta

Pastas can be divided into two main types: dried (Italian: pasta secca) and fresh (Italian: pasta fresca). Most dried pasta is made in factories, but you can also make it at home. Fresh pasta is usually made by hand, and store-bought fresh pasta is made in big machines.

Both dried and fresh pastas come in many shapes and types. In Italy, the same pasta shape can have different names depending on where you are. Pasta dishes are usually served in three ways: with a sauce (pasta asciutta), in a soup (pasta in brodo), or baked in the oven (pasta al forno). Pasta dishes can be small meals or big dinners, and the sauces can be different colors and textures.

Types of pasta

Pasta comes in many shapes and sizes. Some pasta is long, like spaghetti, while other types are short, like penne. There are also tubes, flat sheets, and tiny shapes that are perfect for soup.

Long pasta is often made by rolling and cutting dough. Short pasta is usually made by pushing the dough through a machine. Stuffed pasta is folded to keep fillings inside.

Etymology

The word pasta started being used in English in the 1830s. It comes from the Italian word pasta. This Italian word came from a Latin word, which was based on an Ancient Greek word.

History

See also: Noodle § History, and Testaroli § History

People in Italy were making pasta as far back as 400 BCE. The first clear records of pasta in Italy are from the 13th or 14th centuries. Early writers described sheets of fried dough, which were a common food. Later, recipes included layers of dough filled with meat, an early version of lasagna.

Historians have found many old words for pasta, showing it was known in different places and times. For example, a 9th-century Arab doctor described string-like shapes made from wheat flour. By the 12th century, pasta was being made and sold in Sicily.

Some people believe the explorer Marco Polo brought pasta from China, but this is just a story. Food experts think pasta likely spread to Italy through trade in the Middle Ages. By the 14th century, pasta dishes were being written about more often across Italy. In the 14th and 15th centuries, dried pasta became popular because it was easy to store and transport.

Pasta factories began in the 1600s, and by the 1800s, new machines made pasta production faster and cheaper. Today, pasta is made all over the world and is a common food in many countries.

Ingredients and preparation

Pasta is made from simple ingredients like flour and water or eggs. In Italy, different types of wheat flour are used — strong wheat in the south and softer wheat in the north. Other grains like barley, buckwheat, rice, and even beans can be used to make pasta.

For people who can't eat gluten, pasta can be made from rice or corn flour. Sometimes, extra ingredients like vegetable purees, cheeses, herbs, and spices are added to give pasta different flavors. When pasta is made at home, it usually starts with cracking eggs into a pile of flour, mixing everything together, kneading it into a ball, rolling it out thin, and then cutting it into shapes.

Varieties

See also: List of pasta

• Long pasta
• Short pasta
• Minute pasta pastina, used for soups
• Pasta all'uovo (lit. 'egg pasta')
• Fresh pasta
• Pasta for pasta al forno (lit. 'baked pasta') dishes

Fresh

Fresh pasta is often made with fresh ingredients. It is made with eggs and special flour, so it cooks faster than dried pasta. Lighter sauces work best with it.

You need about 0.7 kg (1.5 lb) to serve four people. It can be cut into different widths, like fettuccine or lasagne. It is often served with meat, cheese, or vegetables to make filled pastas such as ravioli, tortellini, and cannelloni. This pasta is famous in the Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna regions of northern Italy. In Apulia, fresh pasta might be made without eggs, using only semolina flour and water, shaped into orecchiette or cavatelli. In Sicily, a different kind of fresh pasta called cavatelli is popular, made with flour and ricotta cheese.

Dried

Dried pasta is often made in factories because it can be made in large amounts. It can be shipped far away and lasts longer. To make dried pasta, you need semolina flour and water. Eggs can be added for flavor, but they are not required. Dried pasta must be dried slowly at a low temperature for several days. It tastes great in hearty dishes like ragù sauces, soups, and casseroles. When cooked, dried pasta usually grows to about twice its original size, so about 0.5 kg (1 lb) is enough to serve four people.

Culinary uses

See also: List of pasta dishes

Cooking

Pasta, whether dry or fresh, is cooked in hot water before eating. For Italian pasta, which does not have salt, salt is added to the cooking water. This is different from Asian wheat noodles like udon and lo mein, which are made from salty dough.

In Italy, pasta is often cooked until it is al dente, meaning it is still a little firm.

Common ingredients for cooking Italian pasta include tomatoes, cheese, and olive oil.

Sauce

Pasta is usually served with a sauce, and the sauce and pasta type are chosen to go well together. Italian cooking varies by region. Northern Italian cooking uses less tomato, garlic, and herbs. In central Italy, there are sauces such as tomato sauce, amatriciana, arrabbiata, and carbonara.

Tomato sauces are also used in southern Italian cooking. Pasta can also be served in broth (pastina), or stuffed pasta like tortellini, or in vegetable soup such as minestrone or bean soup (pasta e fagioli).

Processing

Making pasta dough uses ingredients like semolina flour, eggs, salt, and water. The flour is piled up, and a well is made in the middle. Eggs are added to the well and mixed with the flour using a fork. Pasta can be shaped in many ways, with popular types including penne, spaghetti, and macaroni.

Kitchen pasta machines, also called pasta makers, are used by cooks making large amounts of fresh pasta. The cook feeds dough into the machine by hand and uses a hand crank to thin it out. The pasta can go through a "comb" to shape it.

Durum wheat is ground into semolina flour, which is cleaned and mixed with warm water. The mixture is pressed into sheets or extruded. Spaghetti and linguine are cut with rotating blades, while penne and fusilli are shaped by extrusion. The size and shape of the extruder dies decide the final shape of the pasta, which is then dried.

Dried pasta is usually made from water and semolina flour, sometimes with eggs for color, and may include vegetable juices, herbs, or spices for flavor. The dough is mixed, kneaded, and then flattened into sheets. The dough is shaped, dried under specific conditions, and packaged. Fresh pasta is sealed in airtight plastic containers with gases to keep it fresh, while dried pasta is packed in plastic or cardboard.

Gluten-free pasta uses substitutes like rice, corn, quinoa, amaranth, oats, and buckwheat flours. Other ingredients may include hydrocolloids, xanthan gum, or polysaccharide mixtures to improve texture.

Storage of pasta depends on whether it is cooked or uncooked. Uncooked pasta can stay in a cupboard for about a year if kept dry and cool. Cooked pasta should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to five days, and adding a little oil helps prevent it from sticking. Cooked pasta can also be frozen for two to three months. Completely dried pasta can return to the cupboard for storage.

Science

Pasta has a special mix of molecules that aren’t in a strict order. When dried, pasta is very dry, about 12% moisture, so it stays hard until you cook it. After cooking, it becomes soft and chewy.

The main ingredient in pasta is semolina flour from durum wheat. This flour has tiny pieces that soak up water when heated, making the pasta thicker. Proteins in the wheat, especially gluten, help the dough stretch and form nice shapes when it’s made into pasta.

Before making pasta, the flour pieces are all different shapes and sizes. When mixed with water, they soak it up. The right amount of water makes the dough about 32% wet, which depends on the shape of the pasta.

When the dough goes through a machine, it’s pushed through a shaped opening. The heat and movement make the starch and proteins fit together nicely. Cooking pasta in boiling water changes it a lot—both the starch and proteins react to the water, making the pasta cook evenly.

Production and market

In 2015–16, the biggest makers of dried pasta were Italy, the United States, Turkey, Brazil and Russia. By 2018, Italy led the world in selling pasta and earned $2.9 billion, with China next.

In 2015, the people who ate the most pasta per person lived in Italy, Tunisia, Venezuela and Greece. The United States ate the most pasta overall in 2017.

Nutrition

When cooked, plain pasta is mostly water. It has carbohydrates, a little protein, and a tiny bit of fat. A 100-gram portion of plain cooked pasta gives a moderate amount of energy and some manganese, but it does not have many other important nutrients.

Pasta usually does not have many nutrients, but it can be made better by adding extra nutrients or using whole grains. Pasta also causes a slower rise in blood sugar compared to many other common foods like bread, potatoes, and rice.

International adaptations

When pasta traveled around the world, different places found new ways to enjoy it. Each country added its own flavors and cooking styles.

In Tunisia, pasta is mixed with a special tomato sauce and spices, and served with meat or seafood. In Hong Kong, pasta might be in a soup with ham, eggs, and vegetables, similar to local noodle dishes.

In Armenia, there is a special pasta called arishta that is toasted and then boiled, often topped with yogurt and butter. In Brazil and parts of South America, pasta comes in many local names and styles, mixing Italian traditions with new ideas. Each place makes pasta its own way, showing how this food fits into many different cultures.

Regulations

Italy

In Italy, there are rules for making and selling pasta. There are four main types:

• Dried pasta: This is made with durum wheat and water. Sometimes it can have a little soft wheat flour too.
• Special pastas: These are like dried pasta but have extra ingredients, like spinach. They must still be made mostly with durum wheat.
• Egg pasta: This type needs at least four eggs for every kilogram of wheat. It is labeled clearly as egg pasta.
• Fresh and stabilized pastas: Fresh pasta must have at least 24% water and be kept very cold. Stabilized pasta can be kept at normal temperatures.

These rules only apply to pasta made and sold in Italy, not for pasta made in other countries or for restaurant use.

United States

In the United States, pasta rules come from the government and some states. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rules for what pasta can be called and what ingredients it can have. These rules cover 15 types of dried pasta.

Some states have their own rules too, often requiring pasta to have extra nutrients. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also has rules for pasta served in school meals, requiring it to have extra nutrients or to be made from whole grains.

Main article: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
Main article: Food and Drug Administration
Main article: United States Department of Agriculture