A History of the World’s Most Beloved Pasta: The Spaghetti

January 4th is National Spaghetti Day and here at America Domani, we want to honor the classic dish and world-famous pasta.  Nearly every country has some form of pasta, from the Asian cultures to the Europeans, you’ll find a variety of different kinds of pasta and uses for it. 

The spaghetti pasta is special because it gives chefs the ability to experiment with a variety of different ingredients. You’ll find different spices, toppings, fresh ingredients, and sauces combined with spaghetti to create a unique flavor profile. 

Spaghetti comes from the word Spago. In English, this translates as “string,” or “twine.” As far back as records state, Spaghetti has been in Italy since the 12th century, with descriptions of string like pasta. 

The History of Spaghetti

While the known history of when spaghetti got its formation is unknown, it is documented that Marco Polo brought the invention of noodles back to Italy around 1295. There were only two places in the world where a noodle was a staple food. These two regions would be Italy and China. There were some far east regions that had their own version of spaghetti. The Arabs had “itriyya” during the 7th century. The Arabs had an occupation in Sicily around this time. The Sicilians already had a record of pasta by the 12th century. 

Arab traveler Abdullah Mohammed al Edrisi described a “food made of flour in the form of strings.” Written in “The Book of Roger,” considered the most important scientific book of the Middle Ages, he described how Sicilians were eating pasta made from hard wheat, some shaped into long strands. The pasta was said to be manufactured in large quantities and then exported around the world. 

In the 20^th century, during the large wave of southern Italians immigrating to the United States, they took with them Spaghetti, as well as their other form of pasta. 

While there is much debate about which telling of history is correct, we can enjoy this meal however we like. Whether you sprinkle some parmesan or covered it with meat and vegetables. 

Fun Facts about Spaghetti