I love pasta - did you know how interesting it is??
By oldchem1
@oldchem1 (8132)
May 18, 2010 1:56am CST
I use a lot of pasta at home in my cooking, but did you know there some interesting facts about it !!
DID YOU KNOW?
In 18th century England, macaroni was a synonym for perfection and excellence? That's why, for example, the feather in Yankee Doodle's cap was called "macaroni."
In fact, the word "macaroni" means "dearest darlings" in Italian.
The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.
Legend has it that noodles were first made by 13th century German bakers who fashioned dough into symbolic shapes, such as swords, birds and stars, which were baked and served as bread.
To cook one billion pounds of pasta, you would need 2,021,452,000 gallons of water - enough to fill nearly 75,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Egg noodles contain egg; almost all other dry pasta shapes do not
One cup cooked spaghetti provides about 200 calories, 40 grams of carbohydrates, less than one gram of total fat, no cholesterol and only one gram of sodium when cooked without salt.
Cooked al dente (al-DEN-tay) literally means "to the tooth," which is how to test pasta to see if it is properly cooked. The pasta should be a bit firm, offering some resistance to the tooth, but tender.
So now you know!!!!
DID YOU KNOW?
In 18th century England, macaroni was a synonym for perfection and excellence? That's why, for example, the feather in Yankee Doodle's cap was called "macaroni."
In fact, the word "macaroni" means "dearest darlings" in Italian.
The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.
Legend has it that noodles were first made by 13th century German bakers who fashioned dough into symbolic shapes, such as swords, birds and stars, which were baked and served as bread.
To cook one billion pounds of pasta, you would need 2,021,452,000 gallons of water - enough to fill nearly 75,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Egg noodles contain egg; almost all other dry pasta shapes do not
One cup cooked spaghetti provides about 200 calories, 40 grams of carbohydrates, less than one gram of total fat, no cholesterol and only one gram of sodium when cooked without salt.
Cooked al dente (al-DEN-tay) literally means "to the tooth," which is how to test pasta to see if it is properly cooked. The pasta should be a bit firm, offering some resistance to the tooth, but tender.
So now you know!!!!2 people like this
12 responses
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
19 May 10
hi thanks oldchem1 I am a pasta lover myself and now I have learned a lot of facts. I like to learn a few new things from mylot every day as you are never too old to learn new things. I like mine al dente also and I love Barilla's pasta plus as they add some protein to it and also its just so delicious and with Barilla's sauce which I always add extra basil, garlic and oregano its plum good eating. Now I know about the feather in Yankee Doodles cap and 
why it was called macaroni. And to me macaroni and all pastas are perfection.
why it was called macaroni. And to me macaroni and all pastas are perfection.
@my_name_is_coco (4333)
• Philippines
29 May 10
I love pasta.I can eat pasta for lunch.i love penne,linguine,and angel hair.I love seafood,lots of cheese,and tomato sauce for my pasta.the only pasta trivia I know is,pasta originated from noodles.when Marco Polo explored Asia and came across China,he saw Chinese people eating noodles.seeing how versatile noodles is since it can be eaten anywhere and just with chopsticks,he brought the idea to Italy.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
18 May 10
I love pasta too. I make spaghetti and I also make carbonara. I made spaghetti with some tuna flakes in it and I also made some with string beans and eggplant. It was good and I am huge fan of pasta like you. I made lasagna last Sunday and it was not that good. I had trouble making the white sauce.
@jamiecornelius (71)
• United States
18 May 10
mmmm pasta :) nice little info thing
i make pasta salad with a little vingerate and some olives and spinach and cucumbers and cheese! its amazing
@GardenGerty (160879)
• United States
18 May 10
My husband really dislikes pasta. He will eat lasagna, if I have made it. I appreciate the information about Yankee Doodle. I always wondered how he could confuse a feather with a piece of macaroni. Now I do know.
@airakumar (1553)
• India
18 May 10
I like Pasta too. I prepare it every week not daily. Yes, I have heard most of things you referred. You know many types are made of the same pasta dough and differ only in the shape and size. These days pasta is one of the most popular dishes. Even children likes it so much. You know, in Italy, a typical meal often consists of pasta tossed together with fresh ingredients that have not been cooked, such as tomatoes and basil.
Thanks.
Thanks.
@jinjer168 (1596)
• Philippines
18 May 10
Hello oldchem1! I am a pasta lover as well. Our usual dinner every sunday was different sort of pasta dishes including spaghetti bolognese, the one with meatballs and was tomato based. Carbonara, the one with white sauce with bacon, egg yolk and parmesan cheese. Vongole, the one with clams and was oil based (i used olive oil for this) and the popular lasagna or just a simple pasta with spaghetti sauce and hotdogs or ground beef. Thanks for the very interesting information about my favorite pasta. Now i know that it really was wonderful. Good luck and take care!
