Pasta: many seek this fabulous first course.

Don't roll your eyes, but there is something important you need to know. Very often, improperly, there are those who search on Google for pasta’asciutta instead of pastasciutta or pasta asciutta. As we know, Italian is not an easy language, and it's very easy to come across spelling mistakes. Regardless of what the Italian language says, pasta’asciutta has always been present on Italian tables; however, many have no idea why this delicious dish, a symbol of Italy worldwide alongside pizza, is called this way. Continue reading to discover why it is called that, its curiosities, and many other interesting things, from types of pasta to the best sauces to enjoy!

Pasta'asciutta: why it is searched this way on the web

Online, the term pasta’asciutta is often searched for incorrectly. As mentioned, the correct term to use is pastasciutta or alternatively pasta asciutta, but pasta’asciutta is searched on Google an average of 1300 times per month! We measure two types of errors; one is probably a typo, while the other is undoubtedly spelling: we suspect that the intent is to search for “past'asciutta,” but an additional “a” sneaks into pasta. A typo? Who knows.

Still, we all know what pasta’asciutta is, right? It’s a type of preparation typical of Italian cuisine, that can never be missing on any tables of the Belpaese, whether at home or in a restaurant. The term pastasciutta became commonly used during the early decades of the 1900s, along with spaghetti, the quintessential Italian pasta. Imagine that before then, the most used word to indicate pasta’asciutta was maccheroni.

The reason why this preparation gets its name is really simple. Pastasciutta refers to the classic way that we Italians prepare pasta: cooking it first in boiling salted water and then draining it using a colander. If you thought that pasta asciutta referred only to a specific dish, you were very wrong. With pastasciutta, we refer to most first courses based on pasta in Italy, and this word only indicates the initial preparation.

Pasta'asciutta: what is its history?

Pasta is a very ancient invention. Preparations similar to pasta date back to 100 BC when emperors Horace and Cicero consumed “laga,” made from thin unleavened flour sheets cooked in water. You won't believe it, but they were the ancestors of our lasagna.

Around 1100 in Sicily, the manufacturing of a filamentous food made from flour, called “Itryah”, begins. Later, the common name for what we now call pasta becomes “maccheroni.” Initially, this name was given to types of stuffed pasta. The etymology of this name is unclear and may refer to the Greek term macaria (barley dough and broth) or to macar, meaning happy or blessed.

We arrive at around the 1600s, when in Naples, the popularity of maccheroni grows exponentially, and various types and combinations begin to emerge. In the 1900s, the words pasta, pastasciutta, and spaghetti began to accompany and eventually replace maccheroni.

Pasta'asciutta: discover the best combinations

Let’s start with a premise: there are no real rules for seasoning pasta'asciutta or pastasciutta, only recipes that often leave room for creativity and common sense! We can try to identify two different ways of seasoning and serving pastasciutta healthily, namely as a main dish and as a first course. If you intend to prepare a main dish, you can indulge in substantial seasonings of meat, vegetables, and fish. If you prefer to also eat a second course, dress the pastasciutta with a light and simple sauce, like tomato. But this is just a suggestion; there’s nothing stopping you from preparing a pastasciutta rich in ingredients and then continuing your lunch or dinner with a hearty second course.

Pasta'asciutta: sauces you can't do without

Pasta'asciutta with tomato, perhaps an excellent piennolo, accompanied by a drizzle of oil and a sprinkling of Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano is a basic recipe that any respectable Italian knows how to prepare. From there on, the choice is truly overwhelming. Pasta with ragù, pesto, mushrooms, 4 cheeses, clams, zucchini and shrimp, cream and speck, and then again, scoglio, Amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe, alla Norma (fried eggplants and salted ricotta). It's impossible to list all the combinations that you can delight your family with. And remember that in addition to hot pasta asciutta, there’s also the cold variant! A quick, fresh, and tasty pasta asciutta, in a word, summery, to take with you to the office or for a day trip. A great idea for a packed lunch.

Pasta'asciutta: short or long?

The basic rule is as follows: as the size and thickness of the pasta increase, so does the complexity of the seasoning. Essentially, short rigged pasta maximizes all its potential with thick, rough, and less homogeneous sauces, whether meat ragù or vegetable sauces. Smooth pasta, on the other hand, prefers sauces based on eggs or with cream. With long pasta, however, we get real sauces that “cling” to the chosen pasta, making the pairing incredible.

All that’s left is to order the pasta that’s right for you on Spaghetti e Mandolino and then prepare a great pasta’asciutta (hoping for a better use of Italian by the users searching for it this way too)!

S&M