The Beginning of an Era of Spaghetti Pasta
Spaghetti pasta is known to almost every human being on Earth, it is undoubtedly the most popular pasta to go for in an Italian restaurant, but it wasn't always like this. Yes, there are multiple shapes and sizes of pasta that complement different sauces as each of these diverse pasta allows for providing multiple layers of texture which refine a dining experience for a person and his/her tasting palette. For example, a thick pasta like penne helps in holding a thick creamy sauce meanwhile pasta such as an angel hair pasta requires a lighter sauce so as to avoid being overwhelmed.
You might be wondering why is spaghetti much more known compared to other kinds of pasta, firstly it is quite popular in almost every American diner or local Italian restaurant in the United States of America, and it is quite assured you might end up finding spaghetti with meatballs on the menu. We will today discuss the history of spaghetti, how it evolved to be known to mankind, and what makes it so different. So let's talk about it in detail below.
The history of spaghetti
There are some arguments regarding the invention of spaghetti pasta, In the first case few historians argue that spaghetti was introduced by the Arabs to Europe while the conquest of Sicily as stated in the Tabula Rogeriana of Muhammad al-Idris. Meanwhile, some historians think it was introduced by Marco Polo who brought the recipe back from his great voyage to China.
During the early 1800s, Italy(意 大 利) used hard wheat and formed long strands which quite resemble modern-day spaghetti, but the earliest version of spaghetti was made into very thin strands very much like the vermicelli ( which is defined in English as "little worms").
The Spaghetti is cooked al-dente which is referred to as "to the tooth" allowing it to be chewy rather than having a soft consistency allowing its texture to work along with the sauce. Spaghetti is derived from the word " Spago " which means string. Since Spaghetti is pasta that is right in the neutral zone, it works splendidly with both light and heavy sauces.
Spaghetti, in particular, is loved in each and every household in America, be it a toddler, a teenager, or an adult. There was a huge amount of spaghetti supplied in the year 2000 which was just about enough to circle the earth 9 times. Fun fact: Did you know, Every year 4th of January is celebrated as National Spaghetti Day?
It is also believed spaghetti with meatballs was an early invention by Italian immigrants who had come to New York City in the early 20th century.
Spaghetti taking over the concept of "food"!
Imagine a beautiful city with towers as high that seemingly felt as if they touched the sky, which no human had ever thought about, In the early 1920's New York City was at the pinnacle of its economic status bringing in immigrants from all around the globe with an American dream to achieve something great in their life. This was the period when Italian immigrants had left their native country after the unpredictable World War 1 which had left dejection and destruction. Most came from the South of Italy who had also brought along their food culture or as you might say the pasta and pizza culture.
It was a pleasant beginning and also brought an overall change in the concept of food, pasta had revolutionized even the best restaurant in the food industry, every fast food restaurant, every food court every diner was ready and rolling out their best spaghetti with meatballs.
How to make a simple spaghetti pasta?
Now, let's try to prepare a simple dish that you might find in almost every spaghetti house.
To avoid hard work in making the spaghetti we shall be using dry spaghetti, and you might be wondering how much pasta per person. Well, I would suggest taking almost half of the spaghetti for two people from the packet.
Boiling the pasta to al dente:
1. Fill a large pot with almost half a liter of water and put it on medium flame, once you see bubbles rising within the water add a bit of coarse salt and/or olive oil.
2. Take out your required amount of spaghetti pasta and put it right in the water and let cook for about 8 to 13 minutes.
3. Drain the water and allow the pasta to sit for some time until you see a matte texture on the pasta.
Steps to create the most simple spaghetti dish:
1. Add olive oil and some minced garlic in a cold pan, and sauté it until the garlic changes its color to light brown.
2. Add chili flakes as much as required but remember to not let the chili flakes overpower the garlic flavor.
3. Finally add the pasta to the pan and mix well,
4. Transfer the pasta into a bowl, garnish it with some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley.
5. Final step, enjoy it as slowly as possible with a glass of your favorite wine.
