06 dezembro 2016

The Origins of Pasta

Pasta, as we know it today, can only be made from triticum turgidum var. durum, or “durum wheat.” Because of its high gluten content, this type of wheat allows hard, dry pasta with a long, safe shelf life. Because the ancient Etruscans and Romans did not know about durum wheat, they could not have invented pasta.

That honor likely goes to the Arabs. In a dictionary by Syrian physician and lexicographer Isho bar Ali published in the 900s, we have something called “itriyya” – string-like pasta shapes made of semolina and dried before cooking. This early Arabic version made its way to Sicily a few centuries later, where it was called triyakh. However, there is still debate today over whether the Sicilians had pasta introduced by their Arabic invaders, or independently invented it, and just picked up the name.

Related post





Nenhum comentário:

Postar um comentário

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
eXTReMe Tracker
Designed ByBlogger Templates