Pasta is a type of food made from the flour of various grains, water, and sometimes eggs, which is mixed, kneaded and formed into various shapes, and boiled prior to consumption. While the name comes from Italy , pasta is very popular all over the world. The English word pasta generally refers to noodles and other food products made from a flour and water paste, often including egg and salt. Less frequently, the term maccheroni (macaroni in English) is used for the same products, especially when in combination with cheese.

Pasta can also denote dishes in which pasta products are the

primary ingredient, served with sauce or seasonings. The word comes from Italian pasta which shares its origins with "paste", meaning "dough", "pasta", or "pastry"as in "small cake". As recently as 1918 the English word "paste" was used instead of or alongside the Italian pasta. Today the word "pasta" is reserved for Italian-style noodles in English-speaking countries, while the word "noodle" has a more general meaning.

Dried Italian-style pasta is made from durum wheat semolina, which gives it a light yellow colour and a slightly chewy texture when properly prepared. Certain American pastas are produced from a mixture of Farina and Semolina. Such pastas often have an inferior texture and flavor and are only usable in a casserole or other dish where texture is less important. Asian-style noodles as well as most fresh noodles are made from regular (non-durum) wheat flour. Some pasta varieties, such as Pizzoccheri, are made from buckwheat flour.

Gnocchi are often listed among pasta dishes, although they are quite different in ingredients (mainly milled potatoes) and mode of preparation.

Pasta is made either by extrusion, where the ingredients are forced through holes in a plate known as a die, or by lamination, in which dough is kneaded, folded, rolled to thickness, then cut by slitters. Fresh pasta cooks quickly and has a delicate taste, but spoils quickly due to its high water content. Dry pasta generally contains about 10% moisture, which makes it shelf stable for about three years.

Packed refrigerated or frozen pasta can be found virtually everywhere in the world. More varieties tend to be available where expatriate Italian communities have taken root. Italian companies such as Arienti & Cattaneo Ima, Ostoni, and Zamboni manufacture machines for producing "fresh" packed pasta, which has a shelf life of around 7 weeks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that consuming five servings of fortified grain foods — a serving might be 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or a slice of bread, for example — could add another 220 micrograms or more of folate per day, to help people meet their recommended folate levels.

noodles and was able to take photos. Analysis showed that the noodles, with a length of approximately half a meter and a diameter of three millimeters, were produced from millet.

Chinese noodles before the age of industrialized food production were always used fresh, and they are comprised of one giant noodle mass through the cooking process because it is considered bad luck in China to cut noodles before serving them to eat.

Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing the first macaroni machine to America in 1789 when he returned home after serving as ambassador to France . The first commercial pasta manufacturer in America was Antoine Zerega, a Frenchman of Italian descent who began making pasta in Brooklyn , New York City, New York , in 1848.[citation needed]

Accompaniments

Pasta served with pesto sauce.
Common pasta sauces in northern Italy include pesto (a raw amalgam of pounded basil, pine nuts, and garlic with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo cheeses and olive oil) and bolognese (a rich and slowly simmered sauce based on finely chopped beef or veal); in central Italy, simple tomato sauce and amatriciana (a red tomato/wine based sauce, usually including onion and bacon strips); in Southern Italy, spicy tomato, garlic, and olive oil based sauces, often paired with fresh vegetables or seafood. Varieties include puttanesca (tomatoes, olives and capers), spaghetti alla norma (tomatoes and eggplant), pasta con le sarde (fresh sardines, pine nuts, fennel and olive oil).

Pasta sauces rarely eaten in Italy but popular abroad include alfredo (a white cream sauce), and meatballs and tomato sauce (an 'italianesque' dish developed in the US ).

Pasta varieties
Pasta comes in many different shapes and sizes. There are simple string-shaped pasta like spaghetti and vermicelli, ribbon-shaped ones like fettucine and linguine, short tubes like elbow macaroni and penne, large sheets like lasagna, tiny grains like couscous and orzo, and hollow pasta stuffed with filling, like ravioli, manicotti, and tortellini. See List of Pasta for more.

Fettuccine
Fettuccine (literally "little ribbons" in Italian) is a type of pasta. It is a very flat, thick, noodle made of egg and flour. Although it can be purchased dried, the finest fettuccine noodles are produced fresh, from scratch, by pressing dough through a pasta maker. Fettuccine is often served with Alfredo sauce.

See also: Tagliatelle