Jan
19
2012
The history of Pasta in Italian cuisine
Author: madebagusThe most widely recognized element of Italian cuisine is today the dough. The dough is a signature of Italian cuisine in all parts of the globe. It is easy to store and prepare and then became Ambassador of Italian cuisine in the world. Pasta has a much older history than other common dishes in Italian cuisine such as tomato sauce and pizza.
There are many myths surrounding the time when the paste actually entered in Italian cuisine. Is the most common of these myths that Marco Polo introduced him into the country from his extensive travels. However, the dough was already a part of the Italian food during the life of Marco Polo. To get to the heart of the matter must travel further back in history. In fact the most accepted theory in the introduction of pasta to Italian food brings us back to the 8th century. During this period the Arab invasions greatly influenced Italian food and are the most likely early in the life of pasta in Italy.
Since the wheat used for this dough before thrived in Italy, it quickly spread and the three hundred dried pasta was immensely popular and found all over the country. The appeal of pasta to Italian food was nutrition and long shelf life. These factors made pasta a great candidate for ship long journeys and due to this was one of the first Italian foods being introduced worldwide. By the time pasta made his world debut that much progress had been made and there were many different forms and shapes of pasta that is used in Italian cuisine. The Italians had developed ways to make the dough faster and more efficiently, making it an integral part of Italian cuisine and Italian life.
The next important stage of development of pasta in Italian cuisine was the introduction of the tomato naturally. Today pasta sauce and tomato go hand in hand when you think of Italian food, but the marriage was not made until 1839. Before this time tomatoes were just introduced to the world from the Americas and many Europeans believed them to be poisonous. It took a long time for people to trust the tomato enough to eat it and include it in Italian cuisine. However, once it was agreed the tomato was welcomed with open arms and took off in Italian cuisine, especially in the southern regions of Italy.
Today we must only look at the numbers to see how big a role play dough in Italian cuisine. Italians eat pasta over three times as much as Americans. The consumption of pasta are over 60 kilos per person per year. It is not surprising that pasta is considered the cornerstone of Italian cuisine. In fact, the dough is used so extensively in Italian cuisine that Italy must import most of its wheat in order to keep up with demand. This popularity of pasta and Italian food has caused the dough to be produced en masse. This has led to a lower quality of pasta that is used in Italian cuisine. The best pasta is still in Italy, where they stick the same recipes handed down from generations. A true food lover should try some authentic Italian pasta made in Italy, if they want to capture the authentic taste of Italian cuisine.