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Fun Facts About Pasta

Fun Facts About Pasta

From eating Kraft mac ‘n cheese as a child, to ramen as a college student, pasta has probably been a lifelong staple in your cuisine. And thus, we feel it is our due diligence to celebrate National Pasta Day the only way we know how- with recipes and a blog! What to expect: mini pasta history, pasta recipes and lots of fun facts.

Back to the Basics

First, let’s dive in, fork-first, to the history of the humble pasta dish. Despite common belief, pasta actually didn’t originate in Italy. Instead, it is believed that Central Asia was the first area to have produced noodles- thousands of years ago. From Asia, pasta then traveled to Europe and the Mediterranean via nomadic Arabs (historians think). In Europe, pasta became more refined, using durum wheat to give it a cheap and indefinite shelf life. Early Spanish settlers where the first to bring pasta to America, but it was Thomas Jefferson that actually made it popular. During his extended stay in Paris, Jefferson tried pasta and loved it so much that he carried two cases of it back to America! Over time, new sauces and noodles have been introduced and developed to form the large variety of pasta dishes that we now know and love.

Oodles of Noodles

The epicenter of food holiday celebrations is undoubtedly the recipes. And over the years, Great Groceries has featured so many pasta recipes that it was hard for us to choose just a few to feature! So, we’ve decided to list lots.

Introducing: Impastas

With the rise of low-carb diets and healthy lifestyles, more people are saying no thank you to traditional starch-laden pastas. Instead, we’re turning to pasta substitutes like zoodles (zucchini noodles) and spaghetti squash. Not only are these impastas lighter in carbs for those of us watching our figures, but they’re also an easy way to introduce more veggies to little ones (without them really noticing). Want to give ‘em a try? Make our recipe for Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Noodles. Or, take a look at our recipe for Spinach Artichoke Spaghetti Squash– once shredded, the squash looks just like thin spaghetti noodles! Once you get the hang of zoodling zucchini or shredding spaghetti squash, you can use them in virtually any pasta dish.

A Penne for Your Thoughts

We at Sparkle Markets aren’t the only ones with pasta on the mind. Don’t believe us? Take a look at some of these crazy pasta fun facts:

  • According to the International Pasta Organization, there are more than 600 pasta shapes worldwide
  • Italy is ranked #1 for most pasta consumption (no surprise there)
  • But, believe it or not, #2 is Venezuela and #3 is Tunisia
  • If all Italians ate their average yearly amount of pasta in spaghetti shape, they would eat, as a country, approximately 600 million kilometers of spaghetti. That’s enough noodles to wrap around the planet 15,000 times!

Celebrate National Pasta Day by visiting your local Sparkle Market for all of the noodles and sauces you need to create the perfect pasta dish!