National Pasta Day
Life is too short, and I’m Italian. I’d much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size 0. - Sophia Bush
Picture this….a warm steaming pile of spaghetti in a rich red sauce, littered with seasoned sausage, black olives, and mushrooms served with crusty garlic bread on the side.
Or, perhaps the idea of a rich Chicken Fettuccine in a creamy garlic white sauce is more likely to be what blows your mind.
Pasta comes in over 600 shapes known to mankind, and their names are usually Italian words that are delightfully descriptive of their shapes. Spaghetti (‘cord’), vermicelli (‘little worms’), rotini (‘spirals’), fusilli (‘spindles’), tortellini (‘little cakes’), linguini (‘little tongues’), conchiglie (‘shells’), fettuccine (‘small ribbons’), penne (‘quills’) and capellini (‘fine hairs’) are the savory little goodies that are essential to any pantry.
While Italian food made it famous, that was actually only a gateway to pasta. Chinese Chow Mein and German Spaetzle are just a couple of the ways the world has taken pasta and fallen in love with it all over again.
And World Pasta Day is the perfect time to celebrate this love!
History of World Pasta Day
World Pasta Day was brought into existence as part of the World Pasta Congress on the 25th of October in 1995. Experts from all over the world came together to discuss the glories of the noodle, with particular emphasis on the importance of spreading knowledge of the world’s panorama of pasta. This organization uses World Pasta Day to promote the eating of pasta, along with its cultural and culinary importance.
The World Pasta Congress engages in everything from encouraging consumers to try new pasta to providing important information to institutions and promotions of this increasingly popular food. Every country is encouraged to celebrate the day in its own way while sharing the logo of the official organization and participating in the global strategy of World Pasta Day.
How to Celebrate World Pasta Day
Food days are simple and easy to celebrate, but they can come with a variety of layers as well. Look to these ideas for inspiration, then create your own ways to celebrate World Pasta Day:
Eat Pasta–and Lots of It!
One of the best ways to celebrate World Pasta Day is by preparing a favorite dish and enjoying the delicious flavors and textures that come along with that noodly goodness. There’s no better way to renew a deep appreciation for it than by wolfing down this healthy and semi-nutritious food.
Most people don’t enjoy eating pasta without any sauce, but the options for what to put on it range from the simple to the complex. Try it with a little melted butter and garlic. Cheese sauce (such as alfredo), tomato sauce (bolognese or marinara), and pesto are traditional options. But some people like to get super creative with unique flavors like butternut squash carbonara, avocado and mango sauce, or herbed white wine sauce. The options are virtually endless!
Host a World Pasta Day Party
Folks who are feeling like they want to share the day can go all out and host a World Pasta day party. This is a great way for everyone to come together to share their favorite pasta dish, or exchange recipe ideas with other guests to help the love of the noodle spread. Be sure to be prepared for one momentous night of rich and creamy carbohydrate overload. It may be that naps will be mandatory, but stomachs will most definitely be full!
For the truly daring, enhance the party by having participants only bring pasta dishes that they have never tried before. Try new noodle types, or even making your own pasta. Experiment with sauces and flavors that may be outside of the normal palate.
Try Making Homemade Pasta
Some people find it a little difficult and time-consuming, but the benefits of making fresh, homemade pasta are absolutely worth it! The easiest way to make it is by using an at-home pasta maker, which can be a little bulky to store in the kitchen but turns pasta-making into a breeze.
The recipe for pasta is fairly simple, using just a few ingredients. Basic pasta will consist of semolina wheat flour, eggs, olive oil and a bit of sea salt. Some pasta recipes don’t include eggs, while others might have a more unique flavor, such as spinach, sun-dried tomato, saffron, roasted red pepper and more.
Those who don’t have a pasta maker can certainly make it by hand, as it was done for hundreds of years in every home in Italy! It takes a little more work in the rolling, but it’s a fun, adventurous project in the kitchen. A food processor and stand mixer will help this process immensely, and a pasta drying rack is also a useful tool.
Try Something New (Or Very Old) In Pasta
This is the ideal day to get creative and experiment with different flavors and dishes. For instance, many people don’t know that Spaetzle was traditionally served with a sour sauce/gravy for Sauerbraten. It’s amazing! Imagine what else could unfold into the culinary world for those who will take World Pasta Day to broaden their horizons!
Attend World Pasta Day Events
All over the world, in various communities, people are celebrating pasta on this day. Get online or check out a local announcements board to find out which events might be happening in the area. For instance, some folks might have a pasta cook-off, while others might create a pasta festival. Those who can’t find a World Pasta Day event in their local area could certainly consider creating one! After all, it’s for the love of pasta.
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