Download FUN FACTS ABOUT PASTA

FUN FACTS ABOUT PASTA
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In 18 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.
In the 13th century, the Pope set quality standards for pasta
There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.
In Italian, fettucine means ribbons; stelline means little stars; and capelli d'angelo means angel's hair.
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.
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Legend has it that noodles were first made by 13 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.
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.
The word "pasta" comes from the Italian for paste, meaning a combination of flour and water including the many forms of spaghetti, macaroni, and egg noodles. The term pasta has always
been used on Italian restaurant menus to encompass all the various pasta offerings.
How much do you need?
8 oz. uncooked small to medium pasta shapes = 4 cups cooked
(Examples: Elbow macaroni, Medium Shells, Rotini, Twists, Spirals, Wagon Wheels, Bow Ties, Mostaccioli, Penne,
Ziti, Radiatore, Rigatoni)
8 oz. uncooked long pasta shapes = 1 1/2-inch diameter bunch = 4 cups cooked
(Examples: Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Linguine, Vermicelli, Fettuccine)
8 oz. uncooked egg noodles = 2 1/2 cups cooked
Here's the skinny on one of America's favorite foods.
Pasta is a good source of folic acid, a key nutrient in a woman's childbearing years. Folic acid helps
to prevent some birth defects (i.e. neural tube) that occur in the early stages of pregnancy.
In addition to folic acid, a typical two-ounce serving of non-egg dry pasta contains valuable levels of
iron, riboflavin, thiamine, and niacin. The same two-ounce serving contains only one gram of fat, no
sodium or cholesterol, and 211 calories.
Some pasta may contains natural flavorings to produce colored pasta. More common ones include
tomato and spinach powder for red and green pasta.
High-quality durum wheat is the main ingredient in U.S.-produced pasta. It is from durum wheat, the
hardest wheat known to man, that pasta receives its yellow amber color, pleasant nutty flavor and
the ability to retain both shape and firmness when cooked.
"Durum semolina" appears on most pasta labels. Semolina is the coarsely ground endosperm of
durum wheat that's golden in color and very coarse and granular in texture. When mixed with water,
a variety of macaroni products are produced. Some pasta labels may also refer to "durum flour"
which is a finer granulation of durum produced in the milling process and is primarily used in noodle
products.
The term "enriched" on a pasta label refers to the additional nutrients, considered essential to a
balanced diet, which have been added. These include several components of the vitamin B
complex: thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid.
Pasta is a low-fat, high-carbohydrate food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines
for Americans recommend eating 6-11 daily servings of grain-based products that are high in
complex carbohydrates -- foods like pasta, breads and cereals - as the foundation of a healthy diet.
About 80 percent of the calories in pasta are in the form of complex carbohydrates. ( "Carbohydrate
loading" is still practiced by exercise enthusiasts who need to increase and store muscle glycogen
for prolonged, exhaustive exercise, like long-distance running.
There are Standards of Identity for various pasta products developed by the U.S. Food & Drug
Administration (FDA) as follows:
Macaroni products: are the class of food (spaghetti and vermicelli) each of which is
prepared by drying formed units of dough made from semolina, durum flour, farina, flour,
or any combination of two or more of these, with water and with or without one or more of
the optional ingredients specified.
Noodle Products: are the class of food each of which is prepared by drying formed units
of dough made with semolina, durum flour, farina, flour, or any combination of two or more
of these with liquid eggs, frozen eggs, dried eggs, egg yolks, frozen yolks, dried yolks, or
any combination of two or more of these, with or without water and with or without one or
more of the optional ingredients specified. By law, egg noodle products must contain 5.5
percent egg solids by weight.
Lycopene, a naturally abundant antioxidant found in tomatoes is another benefit to eating pasta
topped with the traditional sauce. Recent research suggests that lycopene helps inhibit certain
cancers, including prostate and cervical cancer.
Pasta contributes six of the eight essential amino acids to the diet; however, when combined with
dairy, meat, or other complementary protein foods, the protein available is a complete protein
containing all the essential amino acids, an important food for vegetarians.