Pasta: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous edit Next edit →Content deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 13:35, 8 June 2006 view sourcePenguins Are Animals 5327 (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users16,088 editsm JS: Revert to revision 57397161 by Tawkerbot2.← Previous edit		Revision as of 13:35, 8 June 2006 view source 212.135.1.185 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit →
Line 1:		Line 1:
			STINKY!!
	{{Cuisine}}
	'''Pasta''' is a type of ] made from the ] of various grains, ], and sometimes ], which is mixed, kneaded and formed into various shapes, and boiled prior to consumption. While the name comes from ], pasta is very popular all over the world. The ] word ''pasta'' generally refers to ]s and other food products made from a flour and water paste, often including egg and ]. Less frequently, the term '']'' (''macaroni'' in English) is used for the same products, especially when in combination with ].

	Pasta can also denote dishes in which pasta products are the primary ingredient, served with sauce or seasonings. The word comes from ] ''pasta'' which shares its origins with "paste", meaning "dough", "pasta", or "pastry" as in "small cake". As recently as ] the English word "paste" was used instead of or alongside the Italian ''pasta''. Today the word "pasta" is reserved for Italian-style noodles in English-speaking countries, while the word "noodle" has a more general meaning.

	Dried Italian-style pasta is made from ] wheat ], which gives it a light yellow colour and a slightly chewy texture when properly prepared. Certain American pastas are produced from a mixture of Farina and Semolina. Such pastas often have an inferior texture and flavor and are only usable in a casserole or other dish where texture is less important. Asian-style noodles as well as most fresh noodles are made from regular (non-durum) wheat flour. Some pasta varieties, such as ], are made from ] flour.

	] are often listed among pasta dishes, although they are quite different in ingredients (mainly milled ]es) and mode of preparation.

	Pasta is made either by ], where the ingredients are forced through holes in a plate known as a ], or by lamination, in which dough is kneaded, folded, rolled to thickness, then cut by slitters. Fresh pasta cooks quickly and has a delicate taste, but spoils quickly due to its high water content. Dry pasta generally contains about 10% moisture, which makes it shelf stable for about three years.

	Packed refrigerated or frozen pasta can be found virtually everywhere in the world. More varieties tend to be available where ] Italian communities have taken root. Italian companies such as ] ], ], and ] manufacture "fresh" packed pasta for export, which has a shelf life of around 7 weeks.

	The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that consuming five servings of fortified grain foods - a serving might be 1/2 cup of cooked pasta* or a slice of bread, for example -- could add another 220 micrograms or more of folate per day, to help women meet their recommended folate levels.

	== History ==
	]

	Pasta was developed independently in a number of places around the globe (though some ] dispute this). In each of these places, locally available grain was the primary starch source in the diet. Grains had, before the invention of pasta, been consumed as a ] or grain paste, or rendered into ] and eaten as bread. Pasta noodles were likely developed as an alternative to gruel or bread. Pasta noodles can be created even where there is no oven, or not enough fuel to support an oven. In contrast, bread requires a great investment in time and effort to create. In terms of outcome for the effort, pasta is therefore significantly simpler than bread, as any place that something can be kept dry, one can have pasta noodles.

	The earliest known records of noodles in Europe are found on ] tomb decorations from around 400 BC. Recently noodles dating back to about ] have been found near ] at the ] in Western ]. The site was devastated by an ] followed by a ]. The yellow noodles survived in an upside down clay pot underneath a thick layer of ]. Archeologist Houyuan Lu discovered the noodles and was able to take some photos. Analysis showed that the noodles with a length of approximately half a meter and a diameter of three millimeters were produced from ].

	Chinese noodles before the age of industrialized food production were always used fresh, and they are comprised of one giant noodle mass through the cooking process because it is considered bad ] in China to cut noodles before serving them to eat.

	] is credited with bringing the first '']'' machine to America in ] when he returned home after serving as ] to ]. The first commercial pasta manufacturer in America was Antoine Zerega, a Frenchman of Italian descent who began making pasta in Brooklyn, NY in 1848.

	== Accompaniments ==
	]
	Common pasta sauces in northern Italy include ] (a raw amalgam of pounded ], ], and ] with grated ] and ] cheeses and ]) and ] (a rich and slowly simmered sauce based on finely chopped beef or veal); in central Italy, simple ] and ] (a red tomato/wine based sauce, usually including onion and bacon strips); in Southern Italy, spicy tomato, garlic, and olive oil based sauces, often paired with fresh vegetables or seafood. Varieties include ] (tomatoes, olives and capers), ] (tomatoes and eggplant), ] (fresh sardines, pine nuts, fennel and olive oil).

	Pasta sauces rarely eaten in Italy but popular abroad include ] (a white cream sauce), and meatballs and tomato sauce (an 'italianesque' dish developed in the US).

	== Pasta varieties ==
	Pasta comes in many different shapes and sizes. There are simple string-shaped pasta like ] and ], ribbon-shaped ones like ] and ], short tubes like ] and ], large sheets like ], tiny grains like ] and ], and hollow pasta stuffed with filling, like ], ], and ]. See ] for more.

	== See also ==
	*]
	*]
	*]
	*]
	*]
	*]

	== External links ==
	{{Cookbookpar\|Pasta Recipes}}
	* An illustrated guide
	*
	*
	*

	]

	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]
	]

Revision as of 13:35, 8 June 2006

STINKY!!