Pasta

Pasta is a food and dietary staple that is traditionally made from a mixture of eggs, water, and wheat flour. Pasta can be fresh or dried and particular pasta shapes are matched with specific sauces.

In Italy, dried pasta is made from durum wheat which is processed into semolina flour. There, pasta is usually cooked al dente which in Italian means "to the tooth," that means that the pasta should not be cooked too soft.

Pasta is a food staple in the diets of people around the world. Pasta can be traced as far back as 3000 B.C. when the Chinese were known to eat a noodle-type dish. It's also rumored that the Greek God Vulcan invented a device that made strings of dough considered the first spaghetti.http://www.ilovepasta.org/faqs.html

Pasta was first introduced into the Americas in 1789 when Thomas Jefferson returned home from France with a macaroni machine.http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri019.html

Pasta starts as a type of dough - usually made from some type of wheat or flour. There are hundreds of shapes and varieties of pasta. http://www.pasta-recipes-made-easy.com/different-types-of-pasta.html Some of these varieties include bow tie pasta, campanelle, cannelloni, elbow macaroni, fusilli, lasagna, manicotti, penne, ravioli, rigatoni, spaghetti, vermicelli and linguini.

Rice pasta is also an option if you prefer a gluten free diet. Fresh pasta can either be rolled from a dough or extruded. Extruded pasta is forced through a pasta making machine, cut into the appropriate shape, and dried. Rolled pasta is lighter than extruded pasta because it has a hole in the center and cooks in half the time. There are many types of pasta makers ranging in price from $12 to $160. http://shopping.yahoo.com/other-small-kitchen-appliances/pasta-maker--appliance-type/ The higher priced pasta makers are more versatile and can create originally-shaped or textured pasta.

According to the National Pasta Association, the shape of the pasta determines what type of sauce will best complement it.http://www.ilovepasta.org/shapes.html A person can base an entire meal, including wine and cheese, on the basic shape of the pasta they are cooking.