A Short History of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

THE MYTHS SURROUNDING THE WORLDS FAVOURITE DISH, DEBUNKED Did Marco Polo bring pasta back from China, or is that a myth? How did the Neapolitan macharoni turn into the ubiquitous spaghetti? Is it even an Italian dish? Hundreds of shapes and thousands of recipes give expression to the culture and products of the countrys regions. But spaghetti with tomato sauce remains Italys identity dish par excellence. Massimo Montanari goes in search of the dishs true origins, tracing its history along the multiple, intricate routes taken by its raw ingredients to merge and become a distinctive element of culinary tradition. It took almost two thousand years and input from the Far East, the Arabic world, and the Americas, for the dish to take centre stage. Its development is the result of chance encounters, unplanned exchanges, and unpredictable intersections. As we dig in search of spaghettis origins, we find its strands wrap right around the world. Learned and entertaining.Il Giornale