The History of Pasta and Types of Pasta in Italy

Ooh, pasta! It's so delicious, am I right? Ravioli, penne, you name it. But where does this dish come from? What kinds of pasta do Italians eat? Let's dig in!
Script by Patrizia Farina, Professor of Italian at Western Connecticut State University and Purchase College.
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[@guuguu7559]

I came here for chemistry and ended up with pasta’s history

[@phuji]

Who didn't

[@prinnyhayate5517]

I came here to see modern day jesus. Became an italian instead

[@prinnyhayate5517]

@MrBeαst 🅥 naw dude naw

[@chuthita]

authentic here :D @Professor Dave excellently explanations!

[@roccosfondo8748]

Actually also the chemistry of pasta is quite interesting. During the cooking certain compounds change at a particular temperature. That's why you always should drop the pasta inside hot water and not in cold one waiting it to boil.

[@_fedmar_]

3:45 Yes it is. Pasta secca is the dish you make normally, but pasta fresca is usually reserved or more special occasions (e.g. Sundays or holidays.) This is beacause you can buy pasta secca whenever and eat it whenever, but pasta fresca doesn't last for long so you have to plan when to buy it.

[@ekysnoir]

Exactly ☺️

[@hilariousbenjamin5614]

Also who knows how to do it usually makes pasta fresca from scratch for very special occasions like Christmas

[@ekysnoir]

@@hilariousbenjamin5614 true

[@elee9682]

I love the accents he makes sure he speaks in so he’s saying it correctly, maccheroni or macaroni

[@Nicolas20205]

Eh, maybe because he's descendant from Italians...???

[@FuckingFuckShitBitch]

@@Nicolas20205 it's kind of wrong, in my opinion, to mix accents like this. I get when he first says it, he wants to make sure we know how it's 'really' pronounced, and he is probably Italian descended. But when you're saying them casually, and surrounded by other American English words, just say it like an American. Honestly it gets a little grating, like we get it, you can roll your "R's".

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

This is a playlist on Italian language and culture. I pronounce all Italian words properly so that people can learn proper pronunciation.

[@lanzibangli1259]

@@ProfessorDaveExplains People upset because they don't know Italian

[@ekysnoir]

Maccheroni! M - a (like anode) -kk- e (like echo) -roni lol 😆

[@Q269]

MY CHILDHOOD DREAM OF A SPAGHETTI STRAW IS REAL?!

[@dongiovanni4331]

One of the best science videos in a while.

[@worfoz]

Usefull science. Necessary science. The very science of life itself. FOOD SCIENCE

[@glennpearson9348]

Hey, wait a minute! Professor Dave's last name makes him flour?! That's awesome! All kidding aside, there can't be a better way to teach a new language than by teaching it through food and cooking. Brilliant, Professor Dave! Just brilliant!

[@tima6044]

His last name is Explains.

[@glennpearson9348]

@@tima6044 Unless you buy his book, "Is this Wi-Fi Organic." Then, you'd realize his last name is actually "Farina."

[@xxEzraBxxx]

@@glennpearson9348 joke

[@Nivola1953]

Yes Farina is flour in Italian and it’s also a quite common surname.

[@michaeldaigle7207]

Grew up in an Italian family. Big family, big holiday meals. Several sheet pans of fresh handmade ravioli with 3 italian cheeses, with fresh sauce from roma tomatoes. My mother was fond of rigatoni, I ate it many many nights for dinner as a kid. Great video about different kinds of pasta, learned a few things i didn't know.

[@taranciucgabrielradu]

Ditalini means small thimbles Yeah, I mean that's one meaning... The one any Italian will understand will always be the NSFW one tho

[@_fedmar_]

"Allora, che fai stasera?" "Boh, mi faccio un paio di ditalini..."

[@Evillustrations]

I am so happy to see this pasta video! Hope there's more to dive into!

[@mariaangelsgost1729]

Yeeeee Italian scientist go pasta

[@daxmarshall4969]

Keep up the great work Professor! 👍🖖

[@mcgaggero]

Bravissimo professore! Specialmente la storia della pasta: sempre ben documentato e divertente. I suoi video sono un' antidoto contro le sciocchezze che girano su Internet. E' un piacere seguirla, grazie mille!

[@lanterns_glow]

Thank you for teaching us about pasta, Prof. Dave!

[@NovaWarrior77]

THIS is what I was anticipating all season!

[@cjaquilino]

@6:15 Anyone curious about this read Alberto Grandi and Luca Cesari's books on Italian cuisine. Spaghetti is the default pasta in the US because its popularity in Napoli was brought here. It was eaten plain, by hand, on the street.

[@movieyyy]

Great video and thank you for giving me a new understanding about pasta. In return, I would like to share something might be new to you: Like spaghetti being quintessential in America, macaroni (in chinese: 通心粉 or 通心面) has also mysteriously become quintessential in areas with large Chinese populations open to Western cultural influence. Instead of going into some Italian restaurants, you can find macaroni commonly served in the breakfast menu of local restaurants and even fast food restaurants chain (although the recipes of those dishes are highly localized).

[@sahasavadmangkhaseum5455]

I learned so much thanks!

[@jeromefelizardo61478]

Thank you so much for the product knowledge. I love it..👍👍

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@AndreaArturoGiuseppeGrossi]

Delicious video indeed!😋

[@unglaubiger5645]

An interesting fact is that in south italy (especially sicily) penne without grooves are more popular (especially among older folks) because they require less sauce.

[@richardsmusic5577]

I loved this video Dave!!!!!!

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@GARYTHDawson]

Professor Dave pasta and pizza, his knowledge knows no bounds.

[@arcticdino1650]

A very interesting video about a very delicious food. And now I'm hungry

[@sadmanrafiqseyum5311]

Thanks a lot sir, when i have confusion in studies, i watch your videos to get clear

[@BigPanda096]

Professor Dave, I am a long time fan of your work, and I must say that it's remarkable how you can make any subject informative yet fun and functional. From every subject ranging chemistry to things like pasta, you are a well informed man in many areas, in a staggering sense. I do have one question if you aren't pressed for time, that being how do you do it? Do you research after you decide on a subject, or are you just this well educated and need only cursory sourcing for the plethora of knowledge you behold? With respect, August.

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

I have writers! Check the description sections. If a writer isn't listed, I wrote it myself.

[@BigPanda096]

@@ProfessorDaveExplains Oh I see! That makes a lot of sense. Even so, you do write quite a few yourself it would seem, impressive either way. I love your presentation and no-nonsense approach to subject matter. Very refreshing as well as easy to digest. Thanks for the reply Professor, have a wonderful day/night sir.

[@marclattoni1959]

Grazie professore David.

[@NoSTs123]

your pronunciation is spot on!

[@Nivola1953]

Hello Prof Dave, I’m Italian and I don’t know that verb at 1:04 “Maccare” , I couldn’t find it on Google, Wikipedia or Italian dictionary on line! I suspect you mean “Ammaccare” that means exactly what you say. Lastly that guy eating pasta at 0:08, uugghh that’s overcooked into what we call “mappazza” a block of inedible food, not a good way to start talking of some delicious food. Still appreciate a lot the effort to dispel that notion of pasta = Chinese noodles therefore pasta from China.

[@12345.......]

You mean you aren't supposed to make several attempts to scrape noodles off the fork with your teeth?

[@-JA-]

Thank you.

[@UomoChiamatoSting]

Fun fact: here in Veneto you won't hear people asking for Lasagne in a restaurant. We use instead the term "Pasticcio" which is a funny name since it is the equivalent of "messy" in english

[@Mike_HT]

E noi bolognesi non ci stiamo!!! :D

[@davidgatzen1543]

I have purchases rigatoni and ziti in the USA, and they are different. The rigatoni is what Prof. Dave described in the video, but the ziti are longer thinner tubes with a smooth surface (no groves).

[@WillTellU]

This is the first time I hear about marco polo bringing pasta from china. Who came up with such a silly idea?

[@williamarchacki571]

This is the same channel that taught me integral calculus and electron cloud models

[@mouldy_bowl_of_primordial_4204]

6:27 Yeah, that is weird. In Germany, the main perception of pasta is also spaghetti. In France, however, I think it's mainly tagliatelle. At least those are the ones I see most often per country.

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@ekysnoir]

Bel lavoro! ❤️ Ora ho fame lol 😂

[@TARINunit9]

Algorithm: Hey you've binged all of Dave's conspiracy theory videos, would you like to know the history of pasta? Me: Hell YES!

[@kennylex]

I select pasta after what sauce (ragu or meat) I want to eat, I do like spaghetti bolognaise but I think there is better pasta to use for bolognaise like Tagliatelle, and I agree with you that it is a shame that just spaghetti became a bit to popular in America and other parts of Europe so it start to find the other pasta.

[@fredfable5655]

Not bad...very good explanation. Give you a like.

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@mozard7368]

I just finished my pasta and this video got recommended to me

[@12345.......]

The algorithm knows all and sees all 🔭

[@redstart67]

This course could see my first passing grade from Prof Dave 😊

[@brittanyjacobson5199]

so fun

[@mustachesally4134]

If you had a closet full of 99cent pasta boxes and take it back to ancient times - you'd be very rich.

[@nazranagressy9385]

what kind of pasta is pasta al pomodoro is it another name for the spaghetti or please explain in a quick reply i have a interview tomorrow ..??

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@larifitness]

Have to say, I am greek and I LOVE your accent…

[@christopherrseay3148]

had wild boar pasta in italy once. i'm sad i might never have it again!!

[@HakendaNatan]

good

[@poulomi__hari]

As a person who loves cooking, Fussili pasta has become my favorite, while Farfalle is the one I run away from. Farfalle takes so long to boil to the right consistency, its too time consuming and almost always set to fail.

[@user-om9jk5cw7b]

Obrigado Jesus do macarrão!!!

[@naniterimorni1]

Sup

[@jamiestarr3086]

Ty for that! I enjoyed my fusilli while watching this. Penne Rigate is my favorite. I actually don't like spaghetti very much.. idk why it's so popular here in the states... I hate how it feels in my mouth. It's weird lol

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@MarkWladika]

"Pasta is life" - Dante Rojas

[@egafx]

Now I know what Farina means 😁

[@ourfamilyoutdoors7331]

I had never seen rotelle before, they look interesting

[@pepperVenge]

There's not enough Sicily for there to be a Northern Sicily.

[@ShRkDa]

but what about pasta in brodo in the shape of little alphabet letters?

[@Crus0e]

dayum I'm Italian and I didn't even know all the names of pasta, this guy really knows a lot

[@Polymeron]

Great, now I'm hungry :P

[@David-eg6sd]

in germany, bucatini get sold as maccaroni

[@Andrea-rw9tf]

Delicious maybe I’ll make pasta carbonara tomorrow!

[@urielpolak9949]

One could say ,a dumpling is a kind of pasta. Or knoodle knødlen.

[@drrd4127]

I would say Spaghetti, Penne, Spiels, bowties (farfalle) and shells are the most popular pasta in the UK. So I was confused when Americans called Pasta: noodles because most of the pasta I eat doesn't look like noodles but it makes sense if Americans are mostly eating spaghetti (which looks like noodles) that they would say noodles instead of pasta.

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@strider_hiryu850]

my nona would always make a simple soup of piselli secca, with a simple brodo. she'd then grate parmigiana into it. served hot or cool.

[@S1nwar]

what about gnocchi?

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

It's not pasta, it's made from potatoes. Super delicious though.

[@RufianEmbozado]

Great! Now I'm hungry... again.

[@jhonscookiesymas5668]

So you just eat and your hungry for more😮😮😂😂

[@MaeljinRajah]

Next can you talk about spaghettification and wormholes

[@lanzibangli1259]

Lmao

[@EndarkenShrine]

Would you consider making a video about the Greek colonization of Italy?

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

I'm planning a world history series so I believe that should be in there!

[@egafx]

I'm imagining Prof. Dave speaking this while 🤌

[@tf8896]

Now we know the meaning of professor Dave’s surname :))

[@carultch]

Probably because someone was a grain farmer or merchant in his ancestry. A lot of surnames in Europe are either based on jobs (like Smith, meaning fabricator), the given name of an ancestor (like Johnson meaning Son of John), or geographical location where your family is from.

[@foppishdilletaunt9911]

Is this a tacit admission that you are an acolyte of the FSM ?

[@dixcyscott2132]

In Assamese language pasta means 5 things, so whenever I bring pasta to town from city and say my grandmother to make it she say' oh 5 things or 10 things' n I couldn't control my laughter🤣

[@yuvalgabay1023]

Ortzo looks alot like ptitim. ptitim (or isreali cooscoos) where invented in isreal in the 60s as a locly made replacement for rice because in this time isreal was really poor so the government had food sanction. Today is a very popular carb side in isreal made like rice(but more of a ratio of 1.25 water -1 carb than rice 2-1) but we add chicken Boolean power into it. But also it's can be made whit other stuff and you can kinda make whit that a easy risotto if you know what you are doing

[@catriona_drummond]

Hm and the Greeks call them Kritharaki.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

But WHY the different shapes. That's what I was hoping you'd discuss

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

Because they're fun!

[@Richard_Nickerson]

@@ProfessorDaveExplains I've heard that some designs are used in order to keep as much sauce as possible

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

Yep that's part of it too. Though the difference is often rather negligible.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

@@ProfessorDaveExplains I figured

[@carultch]

@@Richard_Nickerson The different shapes enable it to interact differently with the sauces, because of surface area to volume ratios.

[@GaryGraham66]

Nobody needs cheese, everyone needs bread.....I'll get my coat.

[@ImiKG]

Best shit to do whilest having a hangover

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@st0nedglory]

Not only was this video interesting but I also learned sphaghetti'os are just anellini

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@BrightEyes83]

i haven't had a decent manicotti in such a long time

[@starstruck7086]

i cannot believe i was watching calculus videos then ended up watching pasta history

[@muggsylauer2683]

You and yer dang liburl pasta making!11!!1 (Just kidding.)

[@ampersand2040]

OHMYGOD PROFESSOR DAVE TALKS ABOUT PASTA?? 😳😳

[@WillTellU]

But where are my letters and numbers pasta!!! Reeeee

[@carultch]

We could call those letras and numerales.

[@cousinparty7266]

Pizza, pasta... you should try risotto for your next video. Or tiramisu. Or espresso.

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

I did tiramisu! And coffee.

[@cousinparty7266]

@@ProfessorDaveExplains Cool! I'll go check it out sometime.

[@ekysnoir]

Or radicchio trevigiano or pesto genovese or polenta 😀

[@agoodname3250]

its lawsinay (in arabnic the ts sound is swaped with s)

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@agoodname3250]

@@Sammy-34079 no thats hardly wrong and europian cusines use less spiceses in general because food dont go bad as fast there because of the lower temperatures

[@jakejohnson6954]

I had pasta last night

[@kamikokaki8134]

Couscous and rechta extra ❤

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@kamikokaki8134]

​@@Sammy-34079cuisine algérienne 😋😋😋😍😍

[@merbst]

I'll eat that!

[@ZalamaTheDragonGod]

Dave Flour

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@swissybaka]

The FSM approves

[@brotherkurp]

Ur so cool

[@yeonjoonhong9833]

damn i forgot Professor Dave was Italian lmfao he do be looking like Mario tho

[@rebirth_mishap]

please, oh please pronounce capicola and prosciutto for us. pretty please with fresh moots on top

[@cambridgemart2075]

Sadly you mixed up the images of wheat and barley at 01:34; wheat has the short beard whilst barley has the long beard

[@Dr.Frasier_Crane]

Ai

[@patriciavicari7002]

There is also a small star pasta called pastina as well but is it the same as the other star one

[@Sammy-34079]

Italian food: 🤢 Chinese Food: 😍 The Chinese food is so much better! They use so much more spices and they even make their food extra spicy if you like it spicy! The flavours are so much better than the Italian food! The only thing that Italian food has better is the pasta and that's it! Other than the pasta Italian food has nothing else.

[@vicentevasquez7298]

Omg

[@TheRogueRockhound]

IDk how I feel about the accents. Good to respect the language/culture but also seems unnecessary. Either way, good on you Dave and cool vid EDIT: Dave has informed me of his intents, I'm sorry if my comment makes you mad or something.

[@ProfessorDaveExplains]

This is a series on Italian language and culture. I pronounce words properly so that viewers can learn proper pronunciation.

[@TheRogueRockhound]

@@ProfessorDaveExplains That makes sense, I'll go through the videos again and see if I can get the pronunciations.

[@12345.......]

He speaks Italian. What do you mean by attempted accents?

[@MicroStarlight]

Not sure why I'm watching this as an Italian. Guess I had some trouble distinguishing fettuccine from tagliatelle lol

[@justanotherhumanorami9697]

Why not, why shouldn't i watch a short documentary of pasta?

[@michaelvout7813]

church pasta ?

[@urielpolak9949]

I love me some fregulla

[@angusyim7395]

here before the algorithm blows this up