WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
The word ‘pasta’ means ‘paste’ or ‘dough’ in Italian, and most people instantly associate pasta with Italy. However, the exact origin of this food is hard to pinpoint. Because it is a simple recipe with only a couple of ingredients, there are a variety of foods with similar make-up. The flour used to make traditional Italian pasta is hard, ground durum wheat – a variation which may have descended from Asian noodles.
Venetian explorer Marco Polo is often credited with returning to Italy from China and sharing the recipe of pasta in the 13th century. However, the dish can be traced further back to the 4th century. Ancient artwork discovered in an Etruscan tomb shows pasta being made with similar tools to those used in many kitchens today – this is used to argue against the legend of Marco Polo.