National Pasta Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated annually on October 17th. While it’s a food item usually attributed to Italy, pasta can actually be traced back to Asia thousands of years ago.

Regardless of its origin, it is considered one of the top comfort foods in the world. It is also one of the most versatile foods and can be made into thousands of different dishes. Just one of the many reasons to celebrate this delicious source of carbohydrates.

The History of Pasta

A common misconception about pasta is that Marco Polo brought it to Italy from China during the 13th century. However, pasta is now believed to have existed in central Asia long before Marco Polo traveled there, and it was already established in many parts of Europe by then.

Many scholars believe that nomadic Arabs helped spread pasta throughout Europe. After all, making dried pasta from durum wheat is a great way to preserve the wheat because it lasts almost indefinitely. This also makes it convenient to store and transport, which would have made it easy to carry on trade routes.

Early Spanish settlers brought pasta to the Americas as early as the 15th century. During a stay in Paris in the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson discovered macaroni and brought it back to the United States. Italian immigrants also brought pasta to the U.S. during the 19th century. Today, we get to appreciate a variety of different kinds of pasta from all over the world.

The History of National Pasta Day

No one really knows who invented National Pasta Day. Most likely, it was either someone who really loved pasta or a pasta manufacturer.

Interesting Pasta Facts

• Italians eat 60 pounds of pasta per person per year.
• Americans eat about 20 pounds of pasta per person per year.
• Macaroni, penne, and spaghetti are the most popular forms of pasta.
• The U.S. makes over 4 billion pounds of pasta a year.

Celebrating National Pasta Day

Celebrating National Pasta Day is as easy as choosing your favorite form of pasta and making it for yourself, your friends, and your family members. Some of the types of pasta you can choose to make are elbow macaroni, egg noodles, fusilli, lasagna, linguine, spaghetti, manicotti, penne rigate, rotelle, and many other different types of pasta. So choose your favorite one and get to cooking!