Carb lovers of the world, behold: October 25 is World Pasta Day. People have been eating pasta since at least 5,000 B.C. However, this delightful holiday was only established in 1995, when 40 pasta producers from around the world gathered to hold the globe’s first World Pasta Congress. Since then, the world has joined forces each October to pay tribute to one of the most delicious and versatile foods known to man. Whether you prefer rigatoni, angel hair, or pappardelle, you’ll love this holiday!
Warm steaming spaghetti in a rich red sauce, littered with seasoned sausage, black olives, and mushrooms, or a rich Chicken Fettuccine in a creamy garlic white sauce that just absolutely blows your mind. There are over 600 shapes of pasta known to mankind, and their names are descriptive of their shapes. Spaghetti (‘cord’), vermicelli (‘little worms’), rotini (‘spirals’), fusili (‘spindles’), tortellini (‘little cakes’), linguini (‘little tongues’), conchiglie (‘shells’), fettucine (‘small ribbons’), penne (‘quills’) and capellini (‘fine hairs’) are the savoury little goodies that are essential to any pantry.
While Italian food made it famous, it was only a gateway drug of pasta. Chinese Chow Mein and German Spaetzle are just a couple of the ways the world has taken pasta and fallen in love with it all over again.
History of World Pasta Day
World Pasta Day was brought into existence as part of the World Pasta Congress on the 25th of October in 1995. Experts from all over the world came together to discuss the glories of the noodle, with particular emphasis on the importance of spreading knowledge of the world’s panorama of pasta. This organization uses World Pasta Day to promote the eating of pasta, along with its cultural and culinary importance.
Everything from encouraging consumers to try new pasta’s to providing important information to institutions and promotions of this increasingly popular food. Every country is encouraged to celebrate the day in their own way, while sharing the logo of the official organization and participating in the global strategy of World Pasta Day.
How to Celebrate World Pasta Day
One of the best ways to celebrate World Pasta Day is preparing your favorite dish and enjoying the delicious flavors and textures that come along with your noodley favorite. There’s no way to renew your appreciation than by wolfing down this healthy and nutritious food.
Or you can go all out, and host a World Pasta day party, where everyone comes together to share their favorite pasta dish, or exchange recipes with others to help the love of the noodle spread. Be sure to be prepared for one momentous night of rich and creamy carbohydrate overload, naps will be mandatory, but stomachs will be full!
For the truly daring, you can enhance the above by having your participants only bring pasta dishes they’ve never tried before. Try new noodle types, or making your own, experiment with sauces and flavors that may be outside your normal pallet. Did you know that Spaetzel was traditionally served with a sour sauce/gravy for Sauerbraten? It’s amazing! Imagine what else could unfold into your culinary world if you take World Pasta Day to broaden your horizons!
History of World Pasta Day
This may come as a shock, but Chef Boyardee did not invent pasta, although real-life Italian cook Hector Boiardi started the company in Pennsylvania over 80 years ago.
(By the way, he accumulated a net worth of $60 million.) Honestly, the world has enjoyed this dish since the first century AD.
While legend has it that Marco Polo imported pasta from China in the 1200s, British food writer Jane Grigson believes a Canadian spaghetti company may have started that tale in the 1920s.
We do know that dried pasta surged in popularity during the 14th and 15th centuries — mainly for its easy storage. This allowed people to bring pasta along on ships when exploring the New World.
Hungary boasted a pasta factory in 1859, while central Italy’s Buitoni Company began churning out pasta a mere eight years later. The trend moved into the present-day Czech Republic by 1884.
During a stay in Paris, President Jefferson ate what he called “macaroni,” but it might have been any type of pasta.
He eventually returned to America with two cases. Pasta’s popularity further blossomed in the U.S. during the late 19th century, when a large group of Italian immigrants (mostly from Naples), moved to America.
The World Pasta Day holiday itself only recently began in 1995 when 40 pasta producers from around the world gathered to hold the first World Pasta Congress.
Since then, diners around the world have joined forces each October to pay tribute to one of the most delicious and versatile foods ever.