The History of Pasta and Types of Pasta in Italy

Ooh, pasta! It's so delicious, am I right? Ravioli, penne, you name it. But where does this dish come from? What kinds of pasta do Italians eat? Let's dig in!

Script by Patrizia Farina, Professor of Italian at Western Connecticut State University and Purchase College.

Check out "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?", my book on disarming pseudoscience!

[guuguu]

I came here for chemistry and ended up with pasta’s history

[_fedmar_]

3:45
Yes it is.
Pasta secca is the dish you make normally, but pasta fresca is usually reserved or more special occasions (e.g. Sundays or holidays.)
This is beacause you can buy pasta secca whenever and eat it whenever, but pasta fresca doesn't last for long so you have to plan when to buy it.

[elee]

I love the accents he makes sure he speaks in so he’s saying it correctly, maccheroni or macaroni

[michaeldaigle]

Grew up in an Italian family. Big family, big holiday meals. Several sheet pans of fresh handmade ravioli with 3 italian cheeses, with fresh sauce from roma tomatoes. My mother was fond of rigatoni, I ate it many many nights for dinner as a kid. Great video about different kinds of pasta, learned a few things i didn't know.

[dongiovanni]

One of the best science videos in a while.

[glennpearson]

Hey, wait a minute! Professor Dave's last name makes him flour?! That's awesome! All kidding aside, there can't be a better way to teach a new language than by teaching it through food and cooking. Brilliant, Professor Dave! Just brilliant!

[Q]

MY CHILDHOOD DREAM OF A SPAGHETTI STRAW IS REAL?!

[cjaquilino]

@6:15 Anyone curious about this read Alberto Grandi and Luca Cesari's books on Italian cuisine. Spaghetti is the default pasta in the US because its popularity in Napoli was brought here. It was eaten plain, by hand, on the street.

[mcgaggero]

Bravissimo professore! Specialmente la storia della pasta: sempre ben documentato e divertente. I suoi video sono un' antidoto contro le sciocchezze che girano su Internet. E' un piacere seguirla, grazie mille!

[movieyyy]

Great video and thank you for giving me a new understanding about pasta.
In return, I would like to share something might be new to you:

Like spaghetti being quintessential in America, macaroni (in chinese: 通心粉 or 通心面) has also mysteriously become quintessential in areas with large Chinese populations open to Western cultural influence.
Instead of going into some Italian restaurants, you can find macaroni commonly served in the breakfast menu of local restaurants and even fast food restaurants chain (although the recipes of those dishes are highly localized).

[taranciucgabrielradu]

Ditalini means small thimbles

Yeah, I mean that's one meaning... The one any Italian will understand will always be the NSFW one tho

[unglaubiger]

An interesting fact is that in south italy (especially sicily) penne without grooves are more popular (especially among older folks) because they require less sauce.

[Nivola]

Hello Prof Dave, I’m Italian and I don’t know that verb at 1:04 “Maccare”, I couldn’t find it on Google, Wikipedia or Italian dictionary on line!
I suspect you mean “Ammaccare” that means exactly what you say.
Lastly that guy eating pasta at 0:08, uugghh that’s overcooked into what we call “mappazza” a block of inedible food, not a good way to start talking of some delicious food.
Still appreciate a lot the effort to dispel that notion of pasta = Chinese noodles therefore pasta from China.

[UomoChiamatoSting]

Fun fact: here in Veneto you won't hear people asking for Lasagne in a restaurant. We use instead the term "Pasticcio" which is a funny name since it is the equivalent of "messy" in english

[GARYTHDawson]

Professor Dave pasta and pizza, his knowledge knows no bounds.

[mouldy_bowl_of_primordial_]

6:27 Yeah, that is weird. In Germany, the main perception of pasta is also spaghetti. In France, however, I think it's mainly tagliatelle. At least those are the ones I see most often per country.

[BigPanda]

Professor Dave,

I am a long time fan of your work, and I must say that it's remarkable how you can make any subject informative yet fun and functional. From every subject ranging chemistry to things like pasta, you are a well informed man in many areas, in a staggering sense. I do have one question if you aren't pressed for time, that being how do you do it? Do you research after you decide on a subject, or are you just this well educated and need only cursory sourcing for the plethora of knowledge you behold?

With respect,
August.

[WillTellU]

This is the first time I hear about marco polo bringing pasta from china. Who came up with such a silly idea?

[NovaWarrior]

THIS is what I was anticipating all season!

[arcticdino]

A very interesting video about a very delicious food.
And now I'm hungry