You may have heard many anecdotes about the jokes made by Italians in World War II, such as the joke that he was captured by all the enemy because he was busy cooking noodles and eating them, although many of them proved to be false, but this one is true: Mussolini tried to eliminate pasta when Italy was fascist, thinking that the food was too decadent and lazy - no wonder he was ousted halfway through World War II.
The importance of pasta to Italians is unquestionable. Italy is an authentic "noodle country", noodles of all kinds are not only one of the most common staple foods, but also rich and interesting historical and cultural significance.
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Before the birth of pasta, Westerners originally ate with their hands, but it was inconvenient to grab the slender and slippery pasta with sauce, so the fork came into being. The invention of the dinner fork is considered a sign that the Western diet entered the era of civilization. In this sense, pasta is a great invention.
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There are many opinions about the origin of pasta, but historical sources show that pasta was widely produced and consumed throughout the Apennine Peninsula as early as the 13th century, and that guilds and standards were established in the 14th century, which shows that Italians regarded pasta making as a very serious business from the beginning.
As the legal raw material of pasta, duran wheat is the most durable wheat variety, with high density, high protein, high gluten and other characteristics, the pasta made of it is yellow throughout, resistant to boiling, good taste. Traveling to Italy to taste authentic pasta will definitely go through a process: the first meal feels sandwiched and unaccustomed; The second meal felt good and a little chewy, and the third meal was addicted; After returning home from a half-month trip in Italy, eating soft pasta from domestic restaurants is boring.
The pasta collectively known today as Pasta is actually very varied, and it is said that the total number reaches 500. There are Futtucine like Chinese hand-rolled noodles, Capellini like dragon beard noodles, Ravioli like dumplings, Cappelletti like small wontons, Tortellini like big wontons, Farfalle with butterfly noodles, Orecchiette with cat ears, Fusilli with twist noodles, Conchiglie with shell noodles, Ruotelle with wheel faces... These are the most common types, some of the more exotic pasta, which even Italians themselves often can't name.
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Why do you need so much pasta? Because Italians pay attention to food! Each type of pasta has its own characteristics and has different ability to absorb sauces. Therefore, different shapes of noodles correspond to different types of sauces and cooking methods, and strive to achieve the perfect balance of color and aroma.
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To put it simply, which kind of pasta to choose, the principle is "wide thick sauce, light noodles and light sauce" - slender pasta with a relatively thin sauce; Short-tube pasta with thick and heavy sauce, hollow or folded shape to facilitate the passage and immersion of large pieces of ingredients; Cold salad dishes can be filled with a unique shape of pasta, while noodle soup is suitable for mini pasta to fully absorb the flavor of the soup.
In 1983, a pasta producer owned by the Barilla Group, a well-known pasta brand, approached the famous designer Giorgiaro to design a new pasta. Giorgetto Giugiaro is the most influential automotive designer of the 20th century, designing more than 200 cars ranging from supercars and concept cars to practical business vehicles and family cars, as well as crossover works such as SLR cameras, motorcycles and submachine guns. However, it is such a famous master who is planted in the design pasta.
At that time, the new pasta was required to not only be delicious and architecturally beautiful, but also meet the health principle of "eat less but eat better". In the end, Giorgiaro and his team designed a pasta Marille consisting of two connected tubular structures that extend a wavy structure at the junction. The smooth outer surface allows moisture to drain quickly as it drains, while the inner surface is pleated to better absorb the sauce. In addition, the double-tube construction guarantees a high pore ratio of pasta, providing a refreshing and firm taste and making it half the weight per unit volume of traditional Spaghetti.
However, the irregular shape of the pasta makes it difficult to heat evenly, the joints often cook later than the edges when cooking, making cooking difficult, and no sauce that complements it fully reflects its uniqueness in design and taste. As a result, this new pasta, which did not stand the test of the market, quickly disappeared - masters who can design cars cannot get pasta.
Today, the world's most popular pasta is none other than Spaghetti Bolognese. But if you order this dish in a restaurant in Bologna and the surrounding area, not only will you not find it on the menu, but you will even be ridiculed. Because Spaghetti is made of coarse grain wheat flour ground from translucent durum wheat combined with water, it is a product of southern Italy, and the central Emilia Romanian region did not originally produce durum wheat, and the local traditional bolognese noodles use fresh noodles, which are made of soft flour ground from soft wheat with eggs and noodles.
In fact, "Bologna Bolognese Noodles" is a pasta dish born overseas, and it is said that after returning home from the British and American soldiers stationed in Italy in World War II, they missed the deliciousness of Bologna's Bolognese and replaced it with Spaghetti dry noodles that were easy to preserve, and the recipe for the Bolognese was different, which led to the birth of this mixed-race dish.
Today, pasta's influence transcends borders and spreads all over the world. Pasta can be found in more than 100 countries around the world, and its aroma can be smelled even beyond Earth - spaghetti is prominently listed in recipes on the International Space Station.
But even though pasta is such a popular dish, not much is known about it, and even makes bizarre jokes: in 1957, a BBC radio broadcast in the United Kingdom reported solemnly: "Thanks to the efforts of farmers and experts, this particular pasta tree grows pasta of similar shapes and sizes, and is easy to pick." "After the show aired, thousands of people called to buy the "pasta tree", asked for the retailer's address and phone number... In fact, this is just an April Fool's prank from beginning to end, but I didn't expect that so many British people believe that pasta can be grown!
For Italians, pasta is not just a food, it symbolizes a feeling, a traditional way of life; For the rest of the world, pasta is a potential food that adapts to different regions, cultures and tastes. Perhaps, the so-called pasta is not so important, the important thing is that it carries the vitality of infinite possibilities and builds a bridge of cultural exchange and integration with delicacy.
What's your favorite pasta?