Noodles Noodles galore.
I grew up eating mostly Chef boy-ar-Dee and spaghettios, but when I got older, I got out of my spaghettio phases and enjoyed more spaghetti and rigatoni and other pastas that were very good. Mostly the Italian verity.
I've also learned that Marco Polo did NOT discover noodles. There is a different story about that. Noodles were mostly discovered in Asia and somehow made it their own in Italy and Italians have fallen in love with Spaghetti, linguini, rigatoni, Lasagna what not.
Living with an Italian family... I've learned to make my own pasta sauce (thank you mom) and we've also learned how to make our own pasta.
My mom learned from her mother and she learned from hers... so on and so forth.
Pasta {or noodles} come in different styles and made in different ways. Some are even becoming gluten intolerant and even healthier. Some even use beets and spinach to flavor the pasta, and they did that for the colors of the Italian flag.
The Asian style noodles are made differently. They are made from rice and thinner than Italian style pasta. They have a Chinese, Korean and Ramen style. Ramen noodle is very common for every college student that needs a quick pick me up when the are studying for a final. Just take it out, add water and put it in the microwave.
I'm more into the Italian style of pasta making. Growing up with an Italian family and having experience on making great pasta sauce helps all the time. Many people are going for the canned pasta and jarred sauce verities. We don't (or I don't) I would love to tell you my pasta sauce secrets but then I would have to kill you. It's secret of course.
If you had a love for noodles, pasta what not, you would know how far it got from being a grain to a long noodle enjoyed by all at lunch, dinner even breakfast. Some people have Ramen noodles for breakfast. Interesting as that sounds. I pick spaghetti or lasagna my two favorite pasta dishes. It takes a while to make pasta and many companies these days are going with the oven ready lasagna noodle varieties. I'm not like that. I love to put the noodles in the pot, then put it in the oven. They're even making on the go pasta dishes, not my style but if you're on the go, they're just right for you.
Pasts companies are doing many things to make their pasta better and healthier for everyone, from making it gluten free to whole grain white, whatever they can do to make their customers happy.
I guess we are trying to be healthier even when it means eating our pastas, and getting exercise since pasta is full of carbs. Enjoy your noodles while you can and believe me you can find many Macaroni and Cheese restaurants now a days if you set foot in New York City. They are popping up everywhere. I'm not a Mac and Cheese fan, but these places go beyond the blue Kraft box.
Till then, enjoy your noodles and remember the history behind it. Ciao Bloggers. Manja!