The strange history of pasta

If you've been to this blog, then you're a real pasta lover and you're really interested in its history.
But the name of which nation is associated with the origin of pasta?
The history of pasta goes back to the Etruscans, Chinese, Greeks, Romans and Arabs. According to many food historians, it is open to debate which nation the pasta belongs to. The reason for this is the geography in which wheat is grown due to its structure.

According to Maestro Martino, the author of the first modern cookbook, which marked the 14th century, pasta could be made only after the recognition of durum wheat Triticum Turgidum in Italy. Because of the high gluten content of durum wheat and the very low moisture level, the pasta did not crack or stretch during drying, and its shape was not damaged during cooking. It was like a breaking point for the Renaissance world. Due to the long shelf life of dried pasta, periods of scarcity took advantage of its storage capacity, making it easier to make long boat trips and encouraging the discovery to be made.

Marco Polo brought macaroni to Italy?

It is mentioned in some sources that Marco Polo returned to Italy after a trip to China in the 15th century and gave information about spaghetti and its preparation. However, other sources say that he only mentioned a food made of starchy flour, but did not mention dried pasta. This situation dispels the myth that the invention of pasta belonged to the Chinese. A theory put forward by Clifford Wright is that the invention of pasta belonged to the Arabs. According to this theory, nomadic Arabs invented pasta on the eve of the spread war because they needed an easily portable, nutritious and satisfying food. Although the Arabs introduced this geography to the region in the 9th century on the eve of the spread wars, it is known that pasta (noodles, lasagna, etc.), both fresh and dried, was very popular in Greek and Roman times. The only thing that doesn't change, no matter what, is that the Arabs are the ones who developed the dried dough.

Garnish for aristocrats

One of the reasons why pasta became one of the main elements of Italian cuisine in the 17th century was that a small number of middle-class merchants would buy already dried pasta. During this period, pasta was considered a garnish for the aristocracy, and was considered the main dish for the people.

As there were already demands, there were places selling pasta. These pasta makers were called "lasagna".

With each passing day, an increasing number of pasta producers began to form unions. In the cities where these unions were located, pasta prices were set, and the government issued declarations to prevent fraud and unfair competition. Violators of pasta sales and production laws could be punished by judges.
Although various studies have been conducted in the past to find out who was the first society to produce pasta, no conclusions have yet been reached. The documents in the Pasta Museum in Rome today do not provide enough information about where the pasta came from.

The first pasta machine
Until the 20th century, pasta continued to be produced and consumed in the Arabian Peninsula and China, especially in Italy. With the development of technology, the production of pasta began to become less expensive and of better quality. Due to the stiffness of the dough, pasta dough, which was previously mixed with the feet, has been kneaded by machines since the 17th century. It is recorded in the historical records that King Ferdinando II of Naples instructed an engineer for this work and that an engineer named Jesse Spadacini invented the first pasta machine.
In the 20th century, the Italians, who technologically developed the production of pasta and produced the best quality pasta, began to export pasta. In 1913, Italy, which exported more than 70,000 tons of pasta, signed one of the largest exports of that time. Finally, the fast and fully automatic pasta machine that makes today's pasta was invented in 1933 by two engineers, Mario and Cuzeppe Baibanti.