 The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.

 Contrary to popular belief, Marco Polo did not discover pasta. The ancient
Italians made pasta much like we do today. Although Marco Polo wrote about eating
Chinese pasta at the court of Kubla Khan, he probably didn't introduce pasta to Italy. In
fact, there's evidence suggesting the Etruscans made pasta as early as 400 B.C. The
evidence lies in a bas-relief carving in a cave about 30 miles north of Rome. The carving
depicts instruments for making pasta - a rolling-out table, pastry wheel and flour bin. And
further proof that Marco Polo didn't "discover" pasta is found in the will of Ponzio
Baestone, a Genoan soldier who requested "bariscella peina de macarone" - a small
basket of macaroni. His will is dated 1279, 16 years before Marco Polo returned from
China.

 Christopher Columbus, one of Italy's most famous

pastaphiles, was born in October, National Pasta Month.
 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.In the 13th century, the Pope set quality standards for pasta.

 Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing macaroni to the United

States. It seems that he fell in love with a certain dish he sampled in Naples, while
serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France. In fact, he promptly ordered crates of
"macaroni," along with a pasta-making machine, sent back to the States.
 The Spanish explorer Cortez brought tomatoes back to Europe from Mexico in 1519.
Even then, almost 200 years passed before spaghetti with tomato sauce made its way into
Italian kitchens.

 The first American pasta factory was opened in Brooklyn, New

York, in 1848, by a Frenchman named Antoine Zerega. Mr. Zerega managed the entire
operation with just one horse in his basement to power the machinery. To dry his
spaghetti, he placed strands of the pasta on the roof to dry in the sunshine.
 During the 1980s, macaroni, which was traditionally considered a "blue-collar" down-
home meal, was transformed into the more upscale "pasta." As more and more people
began to have fun with it and romanticize it throughout the '60s and '70s, its image began
to change along with its name.

Nutrition
  Pasta is a good source of carbohydrates. It also contains protein. Carbohydrates help fuel
your body by providing energy that is released slowly over time.
 One cup of 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. Read more about pasta nutrition.

Cooking and Eating

 All pasta is made by essentially the same equipment using the same technology. Also, in
independent taste tests conducted by Consumer Reports, Cook's Illustrated and The
Washington Post, U.S. pasta either was found superior to Italian imports or the judges
were unable to discern a difference between them.
 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.

 One billion pounds of pasta is about 212,595 miles of 16-ounce packages of spaghetti
stacked end-to-end -- enough to circle the earth's equator nearly nine times.

 Speaking of spaghetti...and meatballs: the Italians only ate meat a few

times a month. So, when they came to America, where meat was so plentiful, they
incorporated meat into their cooking more often, making meatballs an American
invention.
 Most pasta is made using wheat products mixed with water. Other types of pasta are
made using ingredients such as rice, barley, corn, and beans.
 Egg noodles contain egg; almost all other dry pasta shapes do not. By federal law, a
noodle must contain 5.5 percent egg solids to be called a noodle. So without egg, a
noodle really isn't a noodle.
 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.
 Pasta comes in many different colors. Most pasta is cream-colored, but some is made
using spinach making it green, red pasta that is made using tomato, gray pasta that is
made using squid ink, and some pasta is called "cellophane" because it becomes
transparent when cooked.
 The average person in Italy eats more than 51 pounds of pasta every year. The average
person in North America eats about 15-1/2 pounds of pasta per year.

Production

 Pasta is one of America’s favorite foods. In 2000, 1.3 million

pounds of pasta were sold in American grocery stores. If you lined up 1.3 million pounds
of 16 oz. spaghetti packages, it could circle the Earth’s equator almost nine times!
 Top-quality pasta is made from durum wheat. According to the North Dakota
Agricultural Statistics Service, about 73% of the durum wheat grown in the U.S. is grown
in North Dakota. American-grown durum wheat is considered among the best in the
world and the pick of the crop is earmarked for domestic use, ensuring a finished pasta
product second to none in the world.
 Approximately 2.75 million tons of pasta is made in Italy each year, while the United
States produces nearly 1.9 million tons per year
 There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.
 Pasta is a type of noodle that is used in cooking.
 It is a staple food of most Italian cuisines.
 The first reference to pasta, in a book, was in 1154.
 It is typically made from durum wheat flour.
 Most pasta falls under two categories – it is either dry, or it is fresh.
 There are over 600 types of pasta, and some have over 1300 names.
 The three most popular pastas’ are: penne, spaghetti and macaroni.
 There are many varieties of pasta, such as: long pasta, short pasta, minute pasta, egg pasta,
fresh pasta and al forno pasta.
 Fresh egg pasta contains egg, which makes it all the more tender when cooking.
 Pasta can be served in multiple ways. It can be mixed with a sauce or a fresh condiment, it can
be stirred into soups or stews, and it can also be baked.
 Fresh pasta is often served with meat, in dishes such as ravioli.
 Dried pasta doubles in size when cooked and is often served with thick hearty sauces.
 The traditional Italian way of cooking pasta is known as ‘al dente’.
 If pasta is cooked properly, it should stick to a wall when it is thrown.
 In Greek mythology, it is believed that the God Vulcan invented a device that made strings of
dough. This was the earliest reference to a pasta maker.
 Nowadays, pasta makers are found in many homes and restaurants.
 The Ancient Romans used to fry their pasta.
 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.
 Italians eat over sixty pounds of pasta, per person, per year.
 Italy produces 1,432,990 tons of pasta a year.
 It exports 1.7 million tons a year.
 The average price for pasta in the UK is 89 pence, making it an affordable meal for all.
 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.
 The National Pasta Association is a worldwide group which enjoys eating and discussing
pasta, and its history.
 October is National Pasta Month.