Pasta

Pasta is a set of foods prepared with a dough whose basic ingredient is semolina, mixed with water, and to which salt, egg or other ingredients can be added, forming a product that generally it is cooked in boiling water.

In the East, buckwheat flour (Fagopyrum esculentum) or rice flour (Oryza sativa) are common, while most Western recipes follow the Italian tradition (for example, the Emilian pasta tradition, Campanian pasta, Ligurian pasta, etc.), therefore they use durum wheat flour (Triticum durum).

Other ingredients can also be added optionally:

• Egg: Grants consistency.
• Vegetables or vegetables: they provide vitamins and minerals, as well as color.
• Protein supplements: soy, milk, etc. These are the so-called fortified pastas.
• Vitamin and mineral supplements: These are pastas called enriched.

Etymology

The etymology of the term pasta comes from the late Latin «pasta» and in turn from the ancient Greek «παστα» (pastá) porridge, form of "πασσειν" (pássein), which means to sprinkle or sprinkle.

History of pasta

Asian

Scientists have unearthed what they call "the oldest known noodles" dating back nearly four millennia, The New York Times reports. They are thin, yellow, 20 inches long, and made of a millet originating from China. They were discovered in a clay bowl buried under a three-meter-thick layer of sediment near the Huang Ho River (Yellow River) in northwest China. The journal Nature notes that the site was likely devastated by an earthquake and "catastrophic flood" about four thousand years ago. The origin of this paste is similar to what occurred in parallel in different parts of Eurasia (both in places like China, the Middle East and Italy), the Times collects the following opinion from one of the discoverers, Houyuan Lu, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences: "This research has shown that some of the earliest noodle productions took place in China, albeit independently and unrelated to those that developed in the West, in places like Italy."

In southern Anatolia —in the ruins of one of the oldest cities in the world: Hattusa— remains of dishes with a kind of paste made from local grains have been found, so it is possible that the Hittites (or their ancestors) developed some type of food pasta, equally independently of those developed in China and Italy.

Italy

The origin of Italian pasta is different from Asian. Historical investigations assign the origin of pasta, in Italy, to the ancient Etruscan civilization (9th century BC), which made it by crushing or crushing various cereals and grains mixed with water, which they then cooked and resulting in a tasty and nutritious food. When the Greeks founded Naples they adopted a dish that the natives made and it consisted of a paste of barley flour and water that they later dried in the sun and by extension they called it makària. In ancient Rome, there are also references to pasta dishes from the 3rd century BC. C.. In fact, Cicero himself, a Roman politician and orator, speaks of his passion for lagănum, the laganæ, which are long strips of pasta (shaped pasta). of wide and flat sheets, made with wheat flour) still used in Italian gastronomy today and known by the name of làgane, the primordial pasta from which the later and different formats of long pasta were derived current Italians.

At that time the Romans developed instruments, utensils and procedures (machines) for making lasagna pasta. From there, since classical Antiquity and, especially later, during the Middle Ages, Italian dry pasta (pastasciutta) have been very easy both for transport and storage. This after the expansion and domination of Rome promoted the cultivation of cereals throughout the Mediterranean basin.

The fact that in chapter CLXXI of Marco Polo's Travels reference is made to the use of pasta in China, has generated legends where the introduction of pasta in Italy was attributed to Marco Polo in the 13th century, saying that he brought it back from one of his trips to China, in 1271, however these legends (originated in the United States during the 1930s) do not coincide with historical reality, given that the oldest references to Italian pasta (as we know it today and in particular to spaghetti, derived in turn from the laganum of Roman times) in Italy They date from the year 1152, a century before that indicated in the legend of Marco Polo, which is why Polo's theory is completely refuted by all historians of the subject, who agree that the pasta was generated in a parallel, independent and different, both in Italy and in China, without one being derived from the other, the two foods being different cough and not related to each other.

The way to make Italian pasta based on wheat flour and its recipes are those that have spread first through Europe, then America and the rest of the Western world.

America

Industrial manufacture of pastas.

Fresh pastries.

Argentina

Regarding pasta production in Argentina, like what happened in Brazil, Venezuela and the United States, Italian immigrants slowly began to progress and accumulate small amounts of capital with which they started different types of businesses. Thus, the opportunity arose to implement certain production techniques on a small and medium scale in order to begin supplying local markets.

From there, and up to the first years of the 20th century, there were notable improvements in production techniques that included the incorporation of driving force, drying tunnels, a mechanical roller and molds to cut pasta in different formats, until reaching to the continuous production system in 1917 based on Italian techniques.

According to various testimonies, we can affirm that by the year 1853 there were at least ten establishments in the province of Buenos Aires, and that by 1858 what was to be the largest and most innovative national pastry company for many years was already producing: Oneto & Company of Miguel Oneto.

Brazil

In Brazil, the introduction of pasta into their eating habits is due to Italian immigrants, especially in the South region. The growing interest gave rise to small pasta factories in the country, always having an Italian family as a workforce. It was rudimentary, low-volume, home production, before the first pasta-making industries emerged.

There are places in Brazil where the term of Italian origin "macarrão" to refer to any type of pasta dough, from spaghetti, letter pasta and other shapes used in various soups and stews.

Columbia

In Colombia, as in other Hispanic countries, pasta arrived with Italian immigrants. In 1892 two pasta factories were founded, "El Gallo" and "El Papagayo". Its fusion exists today, it is "Doria" pasta.

Costa Rica

About the origin of pasta consumption in Costa Rica, the Costa Rican author Marjorie Ross González comments the following in her 1999 book:

It is difficult to determine when spaghetti (macarrones) came to our lands, it is out of discussion that the arrival of Italian immigrants at the end of the last century and the beginning of the current, popularized a series of recipes made with pasta, however it is known that in documents of previous centuries the pastas are already listed among the import articles in Costa Rica.

It is known then that since the 17th century Spanish settlers and some sporadic Italian immigrants would bring pasta recipes to Costa Rican territory, but it would be from the 19th and 20th centuries that the thousands of Italian immigrants would add dozens of new pastas that today Today they enjoy intrinsic popularity in Costa Rican cuisine, as the country is the largest consumer of pasta in all of Central America and the Caribbean, and one of the largest in Latin America, being the smallest nation on the entire list.

In this way, there are dozens of recipes for macaroni, spaghetti, and pasta in Costa Rica that are national Creole dishes. Among them we can mention: the macaroni with achiote and pork, the noodle soup and the casado, to which a variety of pastas are incorporated (from cannelloni to macaroni). With respect to the manufacture of pasta, in 1902 the Musmanni family, made up of the married couple of Mr. Nicolás and Mrs. Teresa Musmanni, in addition to their children Domingo, Carmela and Antonio, who founded the first business, settled in the nation, coming from Italy. of pasta, as such, in the country.

Mexico

Brought to the country by both Spaniards and Italians, pasta is the main ingredient in many dishes. One of them is pasta soup, very common in central Mexico. It is prepared with pasta (macaroni, noodles, letters, among others) and broth. When served without broth it is called a dry pasta soup.

Another popular pasta recipe is bean noodle soup. Although the noodle is a contribution of Italian cuisine to the world, in some parts of southern Mexico, the noodle is cooked with a "bottom" of beans, achieving a simple delicacy.

The first industrialized pasta factories in Mexico were founded in the 1920s, including brands such as La Moderna or La Aurora that operate today.

Panama

In 1856 there was an Italian restaurant in Panama called "La Bella Italia", where diners were possibly served pasta.

Between 1935-1939, the pioneer of southern Italian cuisine on the isthmus was Doña María Cardone de Martino, who, like other Italian ladies of the time in the Santa Ana sector, offered their pastas in small places and pizzas to locals and strangers, thus emerging the first vestiges of commercial Italian cuisine in Panama.

Regarding pasta production, it is known that in 1932 the first pasta factory "La Suprema" began its operations in the province of Colón; a year later, the plant is transferred to the city of Panama; and in 1959 he obtained a new building in the Los Angeles Urbanization, Industrial Center.

As in Costa Rica, in Panama it is called "macarrones" to the spaghetti. Possibly this is an archaism, derived from the Italian maccheroni, a term that was formerly used as a synonym for "pasta". It must be taken into account that it was not until 1824 that the term "spaghetti" would appear in writing for the first time, in a text by the Italian poet Antonio Viviani (“Li maccheroni di Napoli”), to refer to this type of pasta, which was previously known by other Italian terms such as vermicelli (literally, "little worms", in Italian) or simply maccheroni.

It should also be noted that in the past, apart from the "macaroni", another well-known pasta was the noodle, which according to the book called "The Panamanian Seen Through His Language" it was a "narrow ribbon of macaroni pasta usually used for soup".

Today, pasta is still a traditional food on Sundays or special days, in recipes such as "macaroni with chicken stewed in achiote sauce" or "macaroni with pork". Pasta salads such as "elbows with tuna" are also popular.

Peru

When Italians began migrating to Peru during the early XX century, Peruvians embraced their love of pasta and they began preparing traditional Italian recipes with small variations, one of them being "red tagliatelle" based on the classic tagliatelle con ragù alla bolognese originating from the city of Bologna and the "green tagliatelle" adaptation of tagliolini to pesto from Genoa, in Italy.

In the region of Mala, the "sopa bruta" is famous, a noodle-based dish, whose particularity is that after a few minutes, the noodles absorb the broth and the preparation dries little by little. bit. Its origin may be related to that of the Catalan brute soup or, more likely, to some other regional Italian dish. In other regions there is a similar dish known as "sopa seca", whose consistency is less liquid.

Venezuelan

Due to the large Italian immigration in this country, according to data from the International Pasta Organization (I.P.O), in 2011 Venezuela ranked as the eighth largest producer of pasta in the world and the third in America, producing 341,554 tons of this food. In addition, it was the second per capita consumer of pasta in the world, with an estimated 12.3 kg of pasta per capita per year, only behind Italy (26.0 kg). It is very common in this country to consume the pasta seasoning it with ketchup, mayonnaise and/or pink sauce.

Types of pasta

Long pastries.

Short pastries.

Short pastries

Tiny paste (pastureused in soups.

The pasta can be fresh or dry, and there are also varieties that are characterized by being stuffed.

Long pasta

• spaghetti (spaguetis), elongated and with circular section;
• tagliatelle (tallarines), similar to spaghetti but with rectangular or flat section. Its measurements range from 7 mm and 8 mm wide;
• vermicelli ("gusanitos"), similar to spaghetti but thicker (in some Western countries it is common to use the Italian word vermicelli referring to some types of Chinese noodles other than Italians, such as the so-called "rice vermicelli", and in this case thinner than spaghetti.
• pappardelle, is a flat band up to 2.5 cm wide;
• fettuccine, elongated and flat, 6 mm wide;
• linguine ("small tongues"), similar to fettuccinibut 3 mm wide;
• capellini, elongated angel hairs of circular section, but very thin.
• zitithick spaghetti boned in the center;
• bucatinisimilar to ziti but less thick;
• capelli d'angelo ("Angel Hairs"), very thin and of quick cooking.

Fusilli.

Short pasta

• maccheroni (macarrons), with narrow tube shape, slightly curved or straight;
• rigatoni, tubular pasta with parallel stretch marks, 3.5 cm long;
• tortiglioni, tubular paste with mildly threaded stretch marks, straight;
• Penne ("plumas"), in the form of a short tube, striated on its outer face and cut to the bias;
• gnocchi (ñoquis), pasta of mashed potatoes and flour, with oval shape;
• rifleli, propeller, straw or screw shape of Archimedes;
• rotinisimilar to rifleli but shorter;
• farfalle ("maripous"), shaped like butterfly and dentured edges;
• gomitini ("codites"), like macaroni, but with tubular and semicircular form;
• ditalini ("dedalitos"), very short tubular pasta, used for the minestrone;
• risoni ("bird tongues"), pasta in the form of rice grains, mostly used in consomés.

Stuffed pasta

Filled pastas are a sub-genre of pastas, artisanal and industrially manufactured, which differ from dry pastas in their assembly, having additional preparation (outside the dough) and being generally closed. In addition, the portions of filled pasta are usually per unit, and not per gram as in dry pasta, since they are ostensibly larger. As for its filling, almost all the products commonly used in gastronomy can be used (all kinds of meats, vegetables, purees, seafood, cheeses and sausages).

Thin dough discs are also used, between 8 and 13 cm in diameter, cut by hand or with cutting or punching machines, used to shape empanadas with different fillings.

As in dry pasta, there are many types of stuffed pasta apart from those mentioned, some of which are:

• the ravioli, shaped like square paquetito;
• the tortellini, with a knotted roll shape inside which is included a meat filling, parmesan cheese, or other ingredients;
• the tortelloni, similar to those tortellini but bigger and stuffed with requoise and spinach, or other vegetables;
• the pansotti, stuffed with cheese, ham and other ingredients, and shaped like a half moon;
• the cappelletti, pasta stuffed in the form of small hat;
• the agnolotti, raviolis with rounded edge.

Dietary varieties of pasta

In its formulation, some ingredients are changed for others depending on pathologies or stages of life.

• Integrales: instead of using white flour, the integral is used.
• Pepper for children: it is a mixture of predigerated flour, powdered milk and sugars.
• Diabetic paste: a part of starch is replaced by proteins, or another ingredient, in order to reduce carbohydrate content.
• Pasta for kidney disease: proteins are replaced by carbohydrates, to lower the protein level, but getting an energetic food.
• Pasta for hypertensives: it is loved with distilled water and without salt.
• Pasta for people with obesity or overweight: starch is replaced by non-similar substances.
• Celiac paste: They do not contain gluten. They are made from corn or rice flour, water and corn starch.

Contribution to nutrition

Pasta provides an average of 370 kcal (1546.6 kJ) per 100 g. The main contribution to nutrition is carbohydrate, 13% protein and 1.5% fat and minerals. If the pasta contains eggs, it has more protein. If nothing is added, the paste remains raw (slightly yellowish). Colored pasta also provides some B vitamins, since vegetables such as spinach (green), tomato (red-orange), carrot (light orange), etc. are used in its preparation.

The nutritional and caloric contribution depends, in turn, on the sauce that accompanies the pasta. In the zone Mediterranean of Europe, the use of olive oil, tomato, pepper, fish and sea salt, for the preparation of this.