CULINARY INFO
Pasta : History

The History of Pasta
I've always found the history of pasta fascinating not just for the facts, but also for the many myths and untruths that surround it.

The rise of pasta seems to have started among specific populations in certain areas and later spread to the whole world. Ancient sources say that the Chinese invented pasta, and the Marco Polo introduced it to Italy in 1292 AD. However, the origins of 'macaroni' in Italy go back as far s the time of the Ancient Romans who gave the credit to the 'Gods'. In the Middle Ages in Sicily, dry pasta was eaten by the Arabs who ruled this area then. Some say that 'maccheroni' is derived from the Sicilian word 'maccarruni' meaning 'made into a dough by force'.

1st Century
The first mention of the existence of a mixture closely resembling pasta can be read in a book on the art of cooking by Apicius, who lived at the time of Tiberius (1st Century AD), where he writes about the preparation of a mince or fish dish lined with 'lasagne'. Types of pasta like lasagne were also know in Ancient Greece and Rome, and vermicelli in medieval Italy.

12th Century
There is no other definite mention until the 12th Century when Guglielmo di Malavalle describes a banquet he attended, at which a dish was served that was called 'macarrones sen logana' consisting of pasta mashed in sauce.

13th Century
A century later pasta was mentioned by Jacopore da Todi, and then in the next century in Boccaccio's famous story in which the painter Bruno describes the land of Cockaigne where 'there was a whole mountain of gated Parmesan cheese and on top were standing people who did nothing but make macaroni and ravioli and cook them in capon broth'

The need to dry pasta, which had been eaten freshly made for centuries came with the increased trading which resulted from the establishment of the Marine Republics in Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi. A type of food which could easily be stored on board ship for long voyages needed to be produced. Sailors from Amalfi on their frequent voyages to Sicily took the Sicilian art of drying pasta back home with them. As a result the region around the Gulf of Naples started to produce its own dried pasta.Therefore the early pasta makers had to be excellent forecasters in weather, because the Head pasta maker had to decide whether to produce long or short pasta depending on the day's humidity and breeze.

15th Century
The first recipe for lasagne was written. In the same century, a book by Father Bartolomeo Secchi, De Honesta Voluptate, mentions long and hollow pasta, as well as pasta that can be compared with present day soup noodles.<

16th Century
Pasta products however, did not have an important role in the meal, even among Neapolitan's until at least the 16th Century. They were consumed occasionally as a luxury or even dessert because the special durum wheat necessary for pasta production had to be imported from regions such as Sicily or Puglia and consequently the pasta was costly and only consumed by richer classes. Production of pasta for sale dates back to medieval times. Documents handed down by various societies (some vermicelli makers) show that in the 16th Century, there were already many pasta manufacturers in Savona and Torre Annunziata and that the screw press pasta shape maker was already widely used at that time.

17th Century
It finally became part of the daily diet in Southern Italy for the following reasons. Firstly, a national lack of money around the 17th Century caused a drastic reduction in the ability of families to buy household items. Secondly, the kneading machine and press were introduced. The new mechanism allowed wider distribution and greater factory production of pasta than was possible with handmade 'fresh' pasta. Thirdly, at the same time, the economic crisis lead to the relative concentration of large farms. This created conditions favourable to the expansion of durum wheat, (wheat used for pasta production) cultivation.

The basis for pasta's sale as a very cheap and readily available food for the poorest classes was thus established. Because of its increased usage pasta's value as a staple food for sustaining the livelihood of the population also became evident.

18th Century
By the 1770's the word macaroni had come to have a special meaning in England, a meaning that accompanied macaroni when it was to America at the time of the American Revolution and made ever lasting in song: "Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it 'macaroni' " In England the word 'macaroni' meant perfection and elegance. It was common practice for the English to use the slang phrase 'that's macaroni' to describe anything exceptionally good. So when the English soldier wrote the song about Yankee Doodle stick in a feather in his hat, he showed that the feather was an object of elegance.

Wherever it originally came from, it formed a staple part of Italians diet for many, many years. But it was Catherine Medici who introduced it to France in the 18th Century, that really set the ball rolling and helped turn it into the popular dish it is today.

19th Century
The very first pasta manufacturing company was; 'Il Pastifico Buitoni'. Set up in 1827 by a woman by the name of Giulia Buitoni, who pawned her wedding ring to buy the necessary equipment. As a lady of high values, she travelled the country to secure only the very best flour. That Company still exists today; nearly 200 years later, and is one of the biggest and more popular manufacturers worldwide, it is now part of the Nestles group.

20th Century
Pasta manufacture today is very advanced. The discovery of electricity in the early 1900's made life much easier for the pasta industry. Machines were invented for mixing the dough and electrically controlled drying chambers were introduced. Pasta was no longer limited to warm climates and on pressing a button the quantity of pasta that had once taken a month to produce was obtained in an hour. Today pasta-making has become very automated. The whole process of reception of raw materials, production, packaging, and dispatch can be performed completely automatically by computers.

With the introduction of electricity in the early 20th Century, new machines for the rolling and drying of the pasta were invented. Meaning what used to take a month to produce, could now be manufactured in a day. However even today there are still those who prefer to cling to the 'old' ways for making pasta. They prefer to make the pasta with bronze protruding nozzles to cut and shape the pasta. Which produces a pasta that has a opaque and rough surface; 'the way it always was', and they prefer to dry the pasta slowly to allow a slight fermentation to occur thus improving the flavour - 12 to 48 hours depending on the size and shape. Whereas others, prefer to make the pasta with a newer teflon protruding nozzle that gives it smooth, translucent surface and to quickly dry it - 8 to 11 hours. In each case the pasta is dried to a 12.5 % or below moisture content.

The two basic ingredients for pasta are flour and water. Quality pasta is made from 100% durum wheat, milled into a produce semolina. This wheat is especially bred for this product worldwide. The protein of durum wheat is mainly responsible for the cooking quality of pasta products: a high protein content and a 'strong' gluten (the nitrogenous part of flour after the starch is washed out) are required to process semolina into a suitable final pasta product. However, for various reasons including striving to produce the best quality pasta and provide new flavours, the industry also makes wide use of flours obtained by milling different varieties or semi-durum, hard and soft wheats, maize and various cereals.

A good high quality pasta should almost triple its weight once cooked, so it is a good idea to look on the packet to see its raw and cooked weight ratio. Also because of the special drying process, a high quality pasta will last longer and be less brittle, whereas an inferior one will be the opposite and have coloured spots appearing on the pasta after a year. After cooking a high quality pasta should be needed to be chewed and not just melt In the mouth. Once dry, the pasta is stored in large dry silos to mature, before being weighed and packaged ready for sale.

Today almost every supermarket offers a wide range of pasta products and many delicatessens import an enormous variety of pasta shapes. New shapes are frequently introduced or revived. It is a very popular food, either as the basics of main meal, or as a welcome addition to the wide variety of nutritious sauces made, and the appetite for all kinds of pasta seems inexhaustible