When one thinks of pasta, obviously the first country that comes to mind is Italy. It may be considered the Italian national dish, with its many different flavours and variations that differ from region to region. Legend has it that the Explorer Marco Polo brought the recipe back to Italy upon returning from China, but the first traces of this food date back to Etruscan times. Written recipes of the time describe a particular dish called “Lagana”, it was described as consisting of sheets of dough made from wheat flour and crushed lettuce juice, flavoured with various spices and then deep-fried in oil. Further reference to this dish with a few alterations can be found in an early 5th-century cookbook, that outlines the preparation of the meal consisting of layers of dough and a meat stuffing. It takes no stretch of the imagination to see that more likely than not, this is the ancestor of modern-day lasagna.
Fresh or dried
Pasta can be divided into two main categories: fresh or dried. The fresh variety is made with flour, water and eggs and tends to be handmade and can also be made at home. The dried variety is made using durum wheat it is produced on a vast scale, owing to the big machinery required to manufacture it. Both fresh and dry pasta come in many shapes, sizes and varieties. There are roughly 310 specific shapes of pasta, identifiable by over 1300 documented names. Each region produces its own particular variety of pasta.