The traditional Italian way of cooking pasta is known as ‘al dente’.
Al dente pasta not only tastes better, it keeps you full longer.
If pasta is cooked properly, it should stick to a wall when it is thrown.
There are approximately 350 shapes of pasta.
The average Italian eats 60 pounds of pasta per year.
And a typical portion is only 100 grams.
October 25 is World Pasta Day.
Most dried pastas are made with only two ingredients, Semolina flour and water.
Flour + water = paste = pasta.
The first reference to pasta, in a book, was in 1154.
The three most popular pastas’ are: penne, spaghetti and macaroni.
The three most popular pasta dishes are: macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognaise and lasagne.
Uncooked dry pasta can be kept for up to a year.
Cooked pasta can be frozen and re-eaten within three months.
It was traditionally eaten by hand.
One cup of cooked pasta is the size of your fist.
Pasta has many health benefits, as it is low in calorific value and contains various nutrients and minerals.
Pasta can also be given to dogs and cats. It’s believed in helps them in their growth development and to help their coats glossy and healthy.
People were once fooled into thinking spaghetti grew on trees. April 1 in 1957, the BBC made everyone believe that spaghetti grows on trees. At the time, spaghetti was considered by many as an exotic delicacy. The spoof programme explained how severe frost can impair the flavour of the spaghetti and how each strand of spaghetti always grows to the same length. This is believed to be one of the first times television was used to stage an April Fools Day hoax.
