20 Facts about Pasta

Pasta dates back to 4th century B.C where an Etruscan tomb showed a group of natives making what appears to be pasta.

The word "pasta" comes from the Italian for paste, meaning a combination of flour and water.

There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.

October 17th is National Pasta Day.

Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing macaroni to the United States.

It takes about 5,600 gallons of water to produce just over 2 pounds of dried pasta.

The three most popular pastas' are: penne, spaghetti, and macaroni.

China is the largest producer of pasta, followed by Italy and the United States.

Spaghetti Bolognese was actually not invented in Bologna, Italy.

In the 13th century, the Pope set quality standards for pasta.

The first pasta machine was patented in 1600 by Cesare Spadaccini.

Before the industrial revolution, pasta was a luxury item in Italy because it was labor intensive to make.

The largest spaghetti serving was achieved in California in 2010 when Buca di Beppo managed to fill a swimming pool with over 13,780 pounds of pasta.

Pasta is a great source of carbohydrates, which provides the body with energy.

The first written reference of pasta was in the book "De arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e maccaroni siciliani" (The Art of Cooking Sicilian Macaroni and Vermicelli), in 1154.

Marco Polo did not introduce pasta to Italy. Contrary to popular belief, pasta was already used in Italy before Marco Polo's travels to Asia.

In Italy, pasta is often eaten as a first course, or primo, not as a main dish.

Al dente, which means "to the tooth" in Italian, is the ideal consistency for cooked pasta.

The largest pasta company in the world is Barilla, based in Parma, Italy.

According to Guinness World Records, the longest strand of spaghetti measured 10,776 ft and was made by Aloisio Fontana in Italy.