The Secret History of Pasta

Oh, pasta. So rich, so steamy, so seductive. But listen, before I get too hot under the colander, let's get one thing straight. Pasta is old. Like, super old. Like, super, super old. Well, maybe not that old, but really, where did this stuff come from? Let's find out together in The Secret History of Pasta. The most common origin story claims pasta was brought to Italy from the east by the explorer Marco Polo. I got some bad news. It's not true. Sorry, pal. It is true a dumpling-like pasta existed in China as early as 1700 BCE, but other forms of pasta existed in Italy before Marco Polo ever left, like a baked, doughy pasta called lagane, an ancestor to lasagna. So, much like a bowl of delicious angel hair, the ancient world is a seemingly endless tangle of competing pasta threads. But if we slurp our way to the bottom, what's the real pasta predecessor? The answer takes us to the 5th century, where merchants from the Arab world brought dried noodles known as etria, packed for long journeys across the Silk Road, bringing pasta to Sicily centuries before Marco Polo. But once pasta was here, what did Italians bring to the table? What was their special sauce? The sauce. Up until this point, pasta was eaten plain, or even as a paste. Italy also invented mass pasta production, including the creation of the first pasta machines. But if you think the story's over, there's one little detail left. At the time, even the wealthiest, most aristocratic members of society ate pasta like this. Yeah, with their bare hands. And with tomato sauce on the horizon, you can just imagine. But thankfully, there was a hero waiting in the shadows. Forks had never been big in Italy, but this was a match made in heaven. So if you love chowing down on spaghetti, it might be better to thank your fork rather than Marco Polo. It took an awfully long time to become what it is today, but there's plenty to go around. Just stay! Hands off that last meatball, okay?