From mung beans and other grains.

Typically, pasta is produced by the food industry and stored dry. They are boiled before use. Sometimes other ingredients are added to the dough when making them, for example: dyes (tomato paste, spinach, beets, pigment secreted from cuttlefish (cuttlefish ink), and others), eggs, greens.

Often the term "pasta" refers only to dried dough products - semi-finished products. However, some dough products, which are then boiled in boiling water, are prepared not only from dry, but also from freshly prepared dough (for example: noodles, gnocchi, beshbarmak). There is no exact, unambiguous and generally accepted classification of pasta from dough.

In Italian, pasta and some other flour products are called paste (Italian. Pasta, apparently, from the late Latin lat. pasta - "dough") is a homogeneous mushy mass, but in Russian this word has a different meaning.

Classification of pasta

The raw materials used affect, in accordance with Russian standards, the division of pasta into groups A, B, C (depending on the type of wheat) and the highest, first and second grade (depending on the type of flour):

  • group A: made from durum flour of the highest, first and second grade.
  • group B: made from soft glassy wheat flour of the highest and first grade.
  • group B: made from premium and first grade wheat flour.

Durum wheat has a higher gluten content and less starch than soft wheat. Pasta made from them has a lower glycemic index.

In some countries (for example, Italy), pasta is allowed to be made only from durum wheat (similar to group A in Russia).

By way cooking distinguish between fresh, usually egg, and dry products.

By degree readiness Pasta may vary depending on the type and local traditions. In Italy, cooking to the degree of al dente is standard (“by the tooth”, that is, the very middle of the product remains slightly undercooked and firm. In some countries, including Russia, products prepared in this way may be considered undercooked).

The largest and perhaps the most common group of pasta is whole (spaghetti) or tubular (pasta) products, at least 15 cm long, with a very small, usually 1-2 mm, diameter of the product (or the thickness of its walls, if tubular).

In Italy, the different types of pasta are named according to their shape and size.

The ending in the title indicates product size:

  • oni - large
  • ette or etti - small
  • ini - small.

Groups of pasta by shape

By form pasta is divided into six groups:

Long pasta

  • Bavette (Italian. Bavette) - similar to flattened spaghetti - originally from Liguria.
  • Capellini (Italian Capellini; from Italian capello - hair) - the name comes from the north of Central Italy, translated from Italian as "hairs", "thin hair" (1.2 mm - 1.4 mm). It is also sometimes called: "Angel hair" (Capelli d'angelo) or "Venus hair" (Capelvenere).
  • Vermicelli (Italian "Vermicelli; from Italian verme - worm) - long, rounded and thin enough (1.4 mm - 1.8 mm).
  • Spaghetti (Italian Spaghetti; from Italian spaghe - string) - long, rounded and rather thin (1.8 mm - 2.0 mm). Initially, their length was 50 cm. Now, for convenience, it has been reduced to about 25 cm, but you can also find long spaghetti (Manufacturers usually put them in the "special format" section).
  • Spaghettini - thinner than spaghetti.
  • Spaghettoni - thicker than spaghetti.
  • Maccheroncini (Italian Maccheroncini) - are somewhere between spaghetti and bavette.
  • Bucatini (Italian Bucatini).
  • Tagliatelle (ital. Tagliatelle) - thin and flat strips of egg dough about 5 mm wide. They differ from fettuccine, mainly, only in smaller width (the difference is at least 2 mm).
  • Fettuccine (Italian Fettuccine) - thin flat strips of dough about 7 mm wide.
  • Mafaldine (Italian Mafaldine) - a long ribbon with wavy edges. The mafaldines were invented in Naples and were once called “Rich Fettuccelle”. The Neapoletans invented them specifically for Princess Mafalda of Savoy and later christened them "Reginette" (Reginette - princess, literally translated) or "Mafaldine" in her honor.
  • Linguine (Italian Linguine) - long, thin strips of noodles.
  • Pappardelle (Italian Pappardelle) - flat ribbons of noodles 13 mm wide, originally from Tuscany.

Short pasta

  • Fusilli - fusilli - originally from northern Italy. The name comes from the word "fuso", from the Italian "spindle" with which wool was spun. In shape, Fusilli resemble three blades fastened together and twisted in a spiral.
  • Girandole - girandole - are considered the younger sisters of Fusilli. Girandole got its name for its similarity to a children's toy - a multi-colored turntable. They are shortened and take less time to cook.
  • Penne - penne - Rigate (ribbed), Lisce (smooth), Piccole (small) - all Penne have a characteristic dynamic shape of a hollow tube with oblique cuts, in the manner of a sharpened old feather, in comparison with the usual straight classic pasta.
  • Pipe rigate - pipe rigate... Some believe that this pasta format belongs to the Roman gastronomic culture, while others suggest that it first appeared in the north of Central Italy. They are popularly called snails. They resemble tubules in shape, twisted in a semicircle so that the sauce is kept inside.
  • Tortiglioni - tortilloni - one of the first forms of pasta invented in Naples - short tubes with a characteristic pattern, from which they got their name - "tortiglione" - ascending spiral grooves that remain after processing on a lathe.
  • Maccheroni - mckeroni - small thin tubes, slightly bent.
  • Cellentani - chelentani - spiral tubes.

Pasta for baking

  • Cannelloni - cannelloni - tubes up to 30 mm in diameter and up to 100 mm long, one of the first types of pasta invented by people. For a long time, they were made from dough mixed in water from ground grain with salt, then the dough was rolled out and cut into rectangles, on which the filling was placed, rolled into a tube and then cooked
  • Lasagne - lasagna - Rectangular baking sheets. The lasagne sheets are alternated with the filling and baked in the oven for about 20 minutes. Unlike other types of dough, it does not need to be boiled first.

Small pasta for soups

  • Anelli - anelli - miniature soup rings.
  • Stelline - stelline - asterisks.
  • Orecchiete - small ear-shaped products.
  • Filini - thin short threads.

Curly pasta

  • Farfalle - farfalle - butterflies.
  • Farfallette or Farfallini - smaller butterflies.
  • Conchiglie - conquillet - Shells - products in the form of shells; suitable for filling with filling. There are smooth (lisce) and grooved (rigate).
  • Conchillette - smaller shells.
  • Conchiglioni - conchiglioni (large seashells).
  • Gemelli - thin spirals or bundles with hollow ends.
  • Caserecce - horns.
  • Campanella - bells with a wavy edge.

Every day we enjoy a wide variety of dishes and do not even think that these dishes came to us from distant foreign countries. And all because some food products have already become familiar to us. This also applies to spaghetti - an original Italian dish that has long migrated to other countries. That is why we decided to take a closer look at the past of dough goodies.

The birthplace of this pasta is considered a small Italian town Genoa... There is another place next to it - Pontedassio. It is there that one of the most original museums in the world is located - the Spaghetti Museum, which contains 176 recipes for making pasta, as well as sauces and seasonings for them. There is also a historical document that notarially confirms the existence of a dough product called "macaroni". The act is dated February 4, 1279.

The city where the macaroni festival is celebrated is also considered Gragnanothat is near Naples. Every year, it is there that the celebration of long pasta is held, and residents and guests of the town dress in medieval costumes and walk the streets like that. At every step you can try a variety of types of spaghetti, sauces, seasonings and learn the secrets of cooking your favorite dish. Local television even plays films and cartoons with all kinds of pasta. This is because today a tenth of all Italian pasta factories are concentrated in this city.

It is known that in Italy itself there is an incredible number of names for these very spaghetti. If you open a cookbook in any corner of the country, you can count more than a dozen names of simple pasta. Despite this, the residents themselves prefer not to delve into all these terms. Gourmets know exactly what spaghetti they like and how to cook them, and everything else is not so important.

The leading place in the recipe for spaghetti is sauce... No Italian would ever agree to eat pasta without an important ingredient, because it will no longer be pasta, but just dough with water. There are over 10,000 varieties of gravies and sauces. Even a sea shell can flaunt next to spaghetti, which supposedly gives taste and aroma to your favorite dish. In Italy itself, it is believed that if a person knows a lot about sauces and other additions to pasta, he knows a lot about absolutely everything. The people of the country literally bow before these gurus and become silent when it comes to seasonings.

Spaghetti recipes may vary depending on the area of \u200b\u200bthe country. Since almost all regions of Italy are landlocked, many sauces contain elements of seafood. In the case of overland areas, meat recipes are especially popular there. But Sicily and Sardinia can easily boast an incredible amount of spaghetti-based fish dishes. In local restaurants cuttlefish, squid, crabs, lobsters float in a plate of pasta ...

An incredible number of stories and legends are associated with spaghetti in Italy. For example, it is known that Cindy Crawford, after giving birth to her first child, asked to bring her spaghetti with garlic - a dish that the model dreamed of during all nine months of pregnancy. Formula 1 sports drivers eat their favorite pasta with gusto before the races, and the Italian national team players regularly dine with pasta, believing that it will bring them good luck at the match. There is also a legend that a Neapolitan returned to prison after his release, because the spaghetti was better prepared there than at his home.

There is an opinion that it is impossible to get better from real Italian spaghetti, since they are made from durum wheat... On this occasion, a lot of disagreements flare up to this day, since the result is quite controversial. Some scientists insist that a person does not gain weight because of their individual characteristics, and not from the fact that pasta is made from supposedly "dietary" wheat. Despite this, in Italy it is believed that if a man is not able to eat a large plate of spaghetti, he is not capable of anything, especially in "bed" matters.

According to statistics that reflect the latest demographic situation in the Apennine Peninsula, Italians live quite a long time - women on average up to 82 years, and men up to 75-76. This phenomenon can be explained by many factors, but spaghetti and pasta should not be excluded from them at all. After all, maybe this is the reason for the longevity of sultry Italians!

Who has never eaten pasta? Perhaps such a person cannot be found anywhere else. After all, a huge assortment of pasta products is collected under one name "pasta" - these are ordinary noodles and horns, and long spaghetti, and pasta sheets for lasagna, etc. With this product there are already a huge number of recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily. But few people know how and when pasta appeared, as well as where they come from. In fact, the history of the origin of pasta is fascinating not only thanks to interesting facts, but also the myths and legends that surround them ..

The history of the origin of pasta - where did pasta come from

Most, of course, will say that pasta is a traditional dish of Italian cuisine, and they will be right to some extent ... After all, it was Italian merchants who spread pasta everywhere throughout Europe, filling the holds of their ships with pasta during long voyages many thousands of kilometers from their homeland.

It was immigrants from Genoa who first brought pasta to Russia, and this happened during the time of Peter the Great. The famous reformer and admirer of everything European often invited foreign craftsmen, one of whom was an Italian shipbuilder, and brought a certain amount of pasta as a gift to the royal court. I liked the dish, it quickly took root among the people. But the industrial production of pasta in our country began with a factory in the city of Odessa. It is noteworthy that it was not the Russians or Italians who discovered it, but the French.

It is believed that pasta is a dish of Greek origin, because literally "pasta" is translated from ancient Greek as "meal made from flour." But, besides this fact, the existence of pasta in Ancient Greece is practically not confirmed by anything.

In the Roman Empire, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius, around 600 AD, the first cookbooks appeared. And they contained pasta recipes that were only slightly different from modern ones! However, this is our era. And the history of pasta is much older.

During excavations of ancient pyramids in Egypt, a large number of images of people engaged in cooking noodles have been found. Moreover, the technology did not differ much from the current one - the dough was rolled out, cut into pieces and dried. Whether pasta was imported from the outside or whether it was invented on the spot is still unknown to science.

Still, the most ancient references to pasta belong to the Chinese. During excavations of ancient cities dating back to about 4000 years BC, the remains of dishes with petrified noodles were found! Also in China there is a huge number of references to pasta in folklore - fairy tales, myths, legends. Popular beliefs and superstitions are associated with pasta. It turns out that China is the birthplace of everyone's favorite dough products, and not at all Italy.

Today there is a huge amount of facts about pasta. We have prepared the most interesting ones for you.

  • In Italy, pasta is called "pasta";
  • There are about 600 types of pasta all over the world;
  • For the preparation of pasta, Italians use durum wheat;
  • In 1819, the first spaghetti dryer was invented in Italy;
  • The composer Rossini once wrote that he cried only 2 times in his life. The first time, when I heard Paganini play, and the second time, when he dropped a pasta dish that he had prepared himself;
  • Dutch driver was sentenced to 8 weeks in prison for eating pasta while driving;
  • In Italy, there is such a genre of film as spaghetti western. About 600 films were made in this genre in the 60s.

Pasta sauces

Now we eat pasta with meat, vegetables, milk, various spices, etc. But according to tradition, it is customary to eat pasta with sauce. And for this you need to cook them yourself from fresh products.

  • Bolognese: minced meat, tomatoes, red wine and herbs;
  • Barbonara: bacon, cream and Parmesan cheese;
  • Norm: pork fat, onions and tomatoes;
  • Napoletana: tomatoes, fresh vegetables and herbs.

Although each country has its own pasta ... They are united by their excellent taste, ease of preparation and popularity, which peaked in the 20th century. With the development of the industrial world, factories and factories began to produce much larger quantities of pasta, and they actually flooded the world. Such is the history of pasta.

There are legends relating history of pasta origin to the time of the ancient Romans, who attributed their creation to the Gods. And ancient sources claim that they invented pasta in China and Marco Polo brought them to Italy in 1292 AD. However, when Marco said that he "discovered" pasta in China, it was implied that he had discovered something new, when in fact he found that the Chinese have pasta "the same as ours."

The origin of pasta attributed to Etruscan times, which is 500 years earlier than Chinese noodles. However, the evidence is not convincing enough. In one of the Etruscan tombs, tools that resemble a sewing needle were found - they were mistaken for tools for wrapping pasta dough. But perhaps they were for something else. The first written mention we got from the Apicus cookbook, which includes lasagna recipes, and by the XII century pasta have become important enough to attract the attention of food lawmakers.

That from the very beginning, both Italy and China were familiar with pasta there is nothing surprising. Surprisingly, they were not found in all other countries of the world, especially in those where flat cakes were popular. Lasagna - the progenitor of almost all forms of pasta - nothing more than another flat bread, a tortilla that is boiled, not baked. therefore noodles or tagliatelle were quite a logical derivative of lasagna.

Indians and Arabs used pasta since at least 1200 AD, and possibly earlier. The Indians called them sevika, which meant "thread," and the Arabs called them rishta, which also meant "thread" in Persian. The Italians, in turn, chose the word spaghetti, formed from the word spago - "thread".

Small italian pasta with filling, ravioli and tortellini (both appeared from the middle of the 13th century), also had parallels everywhere. In China there were tones, in Russia - dumplings, in Tibet - mo-mo, and in Jewish cuisine - kreplach. Some forms of pasta are believed to be native to the Middle East.

Despite such a variety of pasta, later in medieval Italy, the name macaroni stuck to them. In the 14th century, a recipe for macrows is given in the English cookbook Forme of Cury. The result is flat pasta, which are advised to serve deliciously with a small piece of butter and grated cheese as a garnish. But at home, pasta was not treated at this time as the food of the upper strata of society.

It is believed that the word "maccheroni" "is derived from the Sicilian dialect -" maccarruni "means" processed dough "(from the Italian word" makare ", which means" knead, knead "). Dried dough in the form of threads (" tria "in Arabic language) were food for caravans during the period of Islamic expansion at the end of the first millennium A.D.

Types of pasta, similar to modern noodles, were known in Ancient Greece, but this can be argued based only on indirect signs - archaeological finds of tools used for making pasta, such as rolling pins, dough knives, etc. Ancient Greek mythology says that the god Vulcan invented a machine that made long and thin threads from dough - a prototype spaghetti.

History of the origin of pasta: facts

Facts from the history of the origin of pasta appear already in the era of sea travel. The need to dry pasta that can be eaten fresh as it has been eaten for centuries came with the increase in trade and shipping that followed the rise of the Maritime Republics in Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi. Food was needed, which could be stored on the ship for long voyages. Amalfi sailors, during frequent visits to Sicily, adopted the art of drying macaroni and spread it in the area around the Gulf of Naples.

In the old Neapolitan factories, which were created both in the city and along the coast, pasta dough kneaded with their feet, then squeezed by a long wooden pole, on which three or four workers sat, pressing with their weight. The work was carried out to the rhythm of the songs: workers got up and sat down until the dough was smooth and could pass into the wooden presses. Fidelini, vermicelli, trenette, lasagnette and a large selection of short pasta were produced through bronze matrices of various types: butterflies, feathers, shells, spirals - at first they were cut manually, then automatically, blade of the machine. While short pasta fell into large boxes, long pasta, dried with large fans, were placed on long sticks, carried outside and hung on special hangers. The Mediterranean wind drying the pasta gave a special taste and aroma to these pasta.

So dry pasta, one of the first industrially produced food products, has come a long way towards increasingly intensive processing cycles, thanks to technological equipment operating on a full cycle (from kneading dough to finished dried products).

Pastahowever, did not play an important role in food even among the inhabitants of Naples until at least the 16th century. They were used most often as a sumptuous dessert, because the special wheat required for pasta production must have been imported from the regions of Sicily and hence the pasta was expensive and consumed only by the wealthy classes. By the way, it is pasta that we owe the invention of a modern fork with several prongs - for the convenience of eating spaghetti.

Until the 17th century, the food of the poor was mainly vegetables - the Neapolitans were even teased as "salad eaters". In the 17th century, changes began to take place, which resulted in the predominance of pasta in the daily diet of the population of southern Italy for the following reasons:

  • first, the decline in purchasing power due to the economic crisis;
  • secondly, the emergence of machines for making pasta... The machines allowed for a large factory production, and volumes incomparable with the possibilities of "manual" making of fresh pasta;
  • third, the concentration of cultivation, production and storage of special wheat used for the production of pasta.

These reasons have led to a decrease in the cost of pasta and its spread as a food product for the general public.

Pasta in England

By 1770, the word "pasta" in England had a special meaning, meaning perfection and elegance. The slang expression "this is pasta" has been used to describe something exceptionally good.

By the way, we owe pasta to the emergence of the tradition of pranks and jokes on April 1 - the classic Raffle of the Century, many call the BBC broadcast on April 1, 1957, about an unprecedented harvest of pasta in Switzerland. Against the background of shots demonstrating the work of peasants, collecting boiled pasta, the voice of the announcer told the audience about the main achievement in this area of \u200b\u200bagriculture - the same length of all pasta, which is a consequence of the experiments of many generations of breeders. The editors received a lot of letters - responses: someone was surprised that pasta grows vertically and not horizontally, someone asked to send seedlings and only a few expressed a slight confusion - because until now they were sure that pasta are made from flour.

Pasta in Russia

In Russia, pasta known not so long ago - only a little over 200 years. It is known that Peter I recruited craftsmen abroad to build ships. One of them, named Fernando, came from Italy. The Italian, himself a lover of pasta, passed on the secret of their preparation to the Russian businessman for whom he worked. The latter appreciated the benefits of the new product (pasta cost five to six times more expensive than the best flour) and set up their home production. The owner, of course, put the money in his pocket, and gave the Italian only the glory of "macaroni". But Fernando took revenge on the owner and sold the secret to more generous entrepreneurs.

The first pasta factory in Russia was opened at the end of the 18th century - 30 years after the Frenchman Malouin in 1767 first described the technique of making this food product - and, of course, in Odessa! Here, pasta was made from the best varieties of wheat flour; a large share of manual labor was incorporated into the technology. In 1913, there were already 39 pasta enterprises in Russia, producing about 30 thousand tons of products per year.

Based on materials histpro.narod.ru and kuking.net

pasta packaging raw material labeling

Pasta (maccheroni) - products made from durum wheat flour, sometimes with the addition of eggs, in the form of tubes. Cord-shaped products are called "spaghetti" or "vermicelli" - depending on their length, that is, translated from Italian - "ropes" or "worms". Only the thinnest tubes are called macaroni in Italy. The thicker tubes are called "mezzatsita" and the thickest pasta is called "cita".

Russia has known pasta not so long ago - just a little over 200 years. It is known that Peter I recruited craftsmen abroad to build ships. One of them, named Fernando, came from Italy. The Italian, himself a lover of pasta, passed on the secret of their preparation to the Russian businessman for whom he worked. The latter appreciated the benefits of the new product (pasta cost five to six times more expensive than the best flour) and set up their home production. The owner, of course, put the money in his pocket, and gave the Italian only the glory of "macaroni". But Fernando took revenge on the owner and sold the secret to more generous entrepreneurs.

The year of origin of the pasta industry in Russia is considered 1797, when the first pasta factory in Odessa was opened.

Here, pasta was made from the best varieties of wheat flour; a large share of manual labor was incorporated into the technology. In 1913, there were already 39 pasta enterprises in Russia, producing about 30 thousand tons of products per year. The technological process has been significantly improved. The wholemeal was poured into a kneading machine, filled with water and mixed. The resulting lumpy dough on dough rolls was transformed into a bound mass, which was rolled into a tape on rollers. When making pasta or vermicelli, the tape was rolled into a roll weighing 30-50 kilograms, and put into the press cylinder. The noodles were usually obtained by cutting the ribbon on special machines called noodle cutters. Strands of products were cut with a knife, hung on poles or laid out on frames, and dried in chamber dryers with steam or heat heating. In southern cities, the so-called Neapolitan method of drying was used: for the day, the pasta was taken out into the air, and at night it was removed to the basement. During the day, the products dried out, and at night they were damp. With such a long (about a week) drying method, the products acquired strength, special taste and aroma.

And today the pasta industry continues to develop at an accelerated pace.

At the present time, significant qualitative changes have taken place in the company. Most of the food production companies have acquired from the time of production, use advanced technologies and have the ability to develop high-quality products that meet the requirements of world standards.


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