Pasta and grains.

Pasta, shaped by history, migration, and trade, connects cultures across time and geography.

Pasta has a shared culinary heritage, spanning East Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Americas.

Pasta-like foods date back over 4,000 years. Ancient Chinese records mention millet-based noodles, while the Greeks and Romans enjoyed laganon—flat sheets of dough resembling lasagna. The Etruscans and Romans developed early pasta forms by grinding cereals and mixing them with water, baking them rather than boiling.

Arab traders brought durum wheat pasta (itrīyya) to Sicily by the 9th century, influencing Italy’s pasta-making traditions. This innovation laid the foundation for dried pasta, ideal for storage and travel, shaping Italy’s pasta culture. (Contrary to popular belief, Marco Polo did not introduce pasta to Italy)

From 1565 to 1815, the Spanish Manila galleons linked Asia with New Spain (Mexico), bringing Chinese wheat noodles, along with silk, porcelain, spices, ivory, and lacquerware, that then ended up in Europe. These exchanges contributed to Spanish and Latin American noodle dishes like fideos and sopa de fideo, showing how pasta-like foods evolved across continents.

By the 14th century, pasta-making guilds flourished in Italy, with Genoa, Sicily, and Naples becoming major producers. The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries expanded pasta production, making it more accessible. Italian immigrants later carried their pasta traditions to the Americas, solidifying pasta as a global staple.

Nowadays pasta exists in nearly every cuisine, from Italian spaghetti and ravioli to Japanese ramen, Middle Eastern couscous, and Mexican sopa seca.

Tagliatelle are made with durum wheat flour and egg (290 kcal/100 g).

Penne, made with whole wheat (unrefined) flour. Whole wheat pasta has less calories and more fibre than white (refined wheat) flour pasta. Aim to have less than 100 g (as low as 150 Kcal) per person.

Penne pomodoro (penne with tomato sauce).

Penne pomodoro with Parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti with shrimp.

Spaghetti ai gamberi crudi. Raw shrimp marinated in olive oil, lemon, and garlic are tossed with pasta for a fresh, delicate seafood flavor (Forte dei Marmi, Italy).

Spaghetti ai gamberi, pomodoro sauce.

Spaghetti with truffles.

Spaghetti al tartufo (with truffles), an elegant and simple match particularly popular in central Italy. The simplicity of pasta is combined with the rich aroma of black or white truffles. Using butter or olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan or Pecorino cheese enhance the truffle’s depth without overpowering it. (Courtesy J. Redi, Turin.)

Ravioli with fried potato skins, an elegant and modern twist on Italian cooking. (Courtesy J. Redi, Turin).

Gnocchi.

Gnocchi (potato pasta) is a soft Italian dumpling made with potatoes, flour, and eggs.