Pasta is the most popular of Italy’s many culinary delights. Its almost infinite variety means that it can take pride of place on the most sophisticated tables, and also satisfy the need for fast yet tasty food. One thing is certain: this “absurd Italian culinary religion”, as writer and founder of the Futurist movement Filippo Marinetti referred to it in the 1930s, remains the most Italian of all foods. It is synonymous with Italy, playing a huge part in its worldwide fame, and is a symbol of the ingenuity of the Italian people.
Every city, town, region and village in Italy has its own method of making pasta: the shape, sauce, filling and even the dough varies, and each is enriched with personal touches. For Italians, the only way pasta can be cooked is al dente, or vierde vierde, as they say in Naples. Al dente literally means ‘to the tooth’, while vierde vierde means ‘very green’ or ‘unripened’, both describing pasta that is tender but still firm to the bite. Overcooked pasta is considered inedible.
This is an The Silver Spoon: Pasta,
