Italian American Herald - March 2022

LOCAL
Brothers film
their adventures
in many Little Italies
PAGE 3
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MARCH 2022
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By Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo
Italians love their pasta. It is a staple of their daily lives, like bread and wine. For centuries historians believed that pasta was brought back to Italy from China by Marco Polo. The famous Venetian, merchant, explorer, and writer, who traveled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295, returned to Italy with an abundance of unknown products. The wealthy were willing to pay a great deal of money for a variety
of new spices such as cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, mace, peppercorns, fennel seed and ginger. He also came back with noodles which may have promoted the belief that pasta developed from this discovery. Various written records
indicate pasta was eaten in Italy long before Marco Polo turned up with his traveler’s tales. In 1154, the Arab geographer Edrisi described “a food of flour in the shape of threads” in what is now present-day Palermo in Sicily. It is also known that soldiers in the 13th century carried pasta as part of their food rations which became the pasta that Italy is known for today.
Historians may disagree with facts that prove pasta has been here since “classical” times; the Greeks called it “làganon” and the Etruscans “makar nia” from which the modern Italian word maccheroni derives. Today’s general term “pasta” comes from the Latin “pasta “which means to mix flour and seasonings with something wet. Historically both the Chinese and southern Europeans
were simultaneously creating and perfecting their “pastas” but with entirely different techniques and styles.
One main difference that occurred over the years is the way pastas evolved in the
two culinary cultures. The Chinese have kept their pastas simple. Their pastas are spaghetti-type strands found in several dishes such as lo mein and wonton skins or wonton wrappers, which are thin sheets of dough made from flour, egg, and water.
Conversely, if you look at the evolution
of pastas in Italy, they have developed into a variety of shapes, cuts and sizes with certain cuts specifically designed to pair with specific sauces or soups. For example, linguini are usually associated with seafood sauce or fettuccine with Alfredo sauce. There are so
many legends, myths, and old wives’ tales as to how these shapes, sizes and cuts came about that it is difficult to know which is factual.
Let us take lasagna, which many of us associate with Italy. Skeptics would argue that lasagna originated in Greece or England. However, most reports seem to indicate
that this dish, as we now know it, made its first appearance in the Italian city of Naples during the Middle Ages. Other experts agree that lasagna originated in Naples, but as far back as 35 B.C. when the Roman poet Orazio wrote, “inde domum me as porri et ciceris refero laganique catinum,” “I’m returning home to my bowl of leeks, chickpeas, and
continued on page 8
Pass the pasta, pretty please
With more than 350 varieties, who can eat just one?
Vol. 9 / No. 3