Pasta

Pasta (Italian for dough ) is in Italian cuisine, the name for pasta made from durum wheat semolina, salt and water in many sizes and shapes.

History

In China, noodles were known at least since the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD). In one of the oldest written evidence is talk of noodles, steamed dumplings and dumplings. Even in ancient Greece pasta dishes were known. In Etruscan tombs they are attested by illustrations of instruments for making pasta.

The term comes via Latin from Greek paste, making a fruit jelly -like barley court was called. A flat pasta -like product was designated as laganon. Similarly, there are a variety of evidence that pasta was eaten in ancient Rome.

In the 12th century geographer Al- Idrisi wrote that in the neighborhood of Palermo in Sicily threads are cooked from wheat, which are willingly eaten by Muslims and Christians alike. He also reported an extensive export this Itryah mentioned pasta in the entire Mediterranean. This is about the first written document in which pasta according to today's definition is the speech.

The Italian coast, specifically the area around Naples, at times developed into veritable strongholds of pasta production because the high purity and germ-free air of the Mediterranean for drying was well suited.

Today there are only a few traditional pasta producers ( pastifici ) in Italy, most of the pasta is made industrially. They are differentiated by size into pasta corta ( short pasta) and pasta lunga ( long pasta).

In Rome is since 1992 the world's only pasta Museum, the Museo Nazionale delle Paste grocery store.

Designations

For most types of pasta the original Italian names are used and maintained the Italian spelling. Only macaroni is Germanized (Italian maccheroni ), and since the spelling reform can also be written spaghetti (Italian spaghetti).

In Switzerland, only the Italian notation is used for each variety. The term " pasta " is used only for noodles. The general term is pasta or pasta.

Most types of pasta are nowadays made ​​from durum wheat semolina. There is also the egg noodles ( all'uovo ), consisting of durum wheat semolina and eggs. Other varieties are:

The endings in pasta shapes mean:

Colored pasta

Undyed pasta has different shades of yellow, depending on whether it was made ​​with or without eggs. Besides pasta is traditionally dyed with additions from spinach and tomatoes ( mixed popularly known as tricolore pasta). Use is also the ink of the cuttlefish for black pasta and cocoa powder, as a regional specialty of southern Italy. Today, next to find, among other extracts from beets use. In the case of the large pasta shapes, so it is pasta fresca ( fresh pasta ), sometimes also incorporated individual herb leaves into the dough, about sage or basil, their structure and color is emerging through the dough through.

Food from pasta

A distinction is made between:

• Pasta in brodo

• Pasta asciutta

• Pasta al forno