Origin and the invention of pasta

The earliest known pasta was made from rice flour and was common in the east. The early history of pasta does start in the Shang dynasty in China (1700-1100 BC) where some forms of noodles are known to have existed - made with either wheat or rice flour.

The ancient Etruscans, who experienced a cultural blossoming in Italy between the 7th and 4th century BC, made pasta by grinding several cereals and grains and then mixing them with water, a blend that was later on cooked producing a tasty and nutritious food.

This is confirmed by an inscription on an Etruscan tombstone in Coveter, which is located northwest of Rome.

Between 1000BC and 800BC, the Greeks first mentioned the existence of laganon, a flat pasta sheet sliced into irregular strips that was later adopted by the ancient Romans with the plural name of laganae. It was used in soups of leek and chickpeas, a very popular Roman dish.

The term ‘macaroni,’ which is currently referred to as a long type of pasta, is found in the documents of Roman writers since the first centuries ‘after Christ.’ However, both the Etruscans and the Romans baked their noodles in an oven, so boiled pasta had yet to be born in Italy.

The development of pasta as a culinary art really takes off in the Renaissance. By the 14th century, pasta was a regular part of life in Rome and Florence.

Boiled pasta was invented by the Arabs. Traders from Arabia packed dried pasta on long journeys over the famed “Silk Road” to China. They carried it to Sicily during the Arab invasions of the 8th century.
Origin and the invention of pasta

The invention of Fettuccine Alfredo

In the 1914, a Roman restaurateur named Alfredo di Lelio is credited with the invention of Fettuccine Alfredo.

He came with recipe in order to tempt his pregnant wife who had become weak from loss of appetite.

Di Lelio determined to get her to eat, transformed his fettuccine al-burro – a homely preparation of pasta tossed with butter and parmesan – by significant increasing the amount of butter he used.

The result was a more lavish dish, which neither his wife nor his customers could resist.

Di Lelio’s signature dish was prepared tableside; as the heat from the noodles melted the butter, the smiling and mustachioed di Lelio lifted and twirled the fettuccine with a gold fork and spoon, pausing to sprinkle in copious amount of grated cheese.

While the original consisted simply of butter and cheese, ‘Alfredo’ has become ubiquitous term that covers everything from a rich sauce to additions of vegetables, chicken, and seafood.

The dish and its creator became famous in Rome, but they were unknown outside of Italy until 1920, when George Rector an American restsaurant owner, writer and bon vivant, sang their praises in his Saturday Evening Post column

Fettuccini Alfredo achieved world fame in 1920 when Hollywood legends Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford dined at his restaurant while honeymoon in Rome, they were so pleased with the dish that they presented Alfredo with a gold plated fork and spoon.

In 1966, food packagers jumped on the trend the Pennsylvania Dutch noodle company started marketing fettuccini with a recipe from Alfredo’s sauce.
The invention of Fettuccine Alfredo