1. Interesting facts that you may not know about pasta
2. Pasta was first eaten in China, not Italy. While pasta is pretty much synonymous with Italian cuisine, in fact, the first recorded reports of pasta being eaten actually come from China. Those reports go all the way back to 5,000 BC. In fact, legend says that Marco Polo, the famous Venetian explorer, actually introduced noodles to Italy sometime in the 12th century. However, historical records show that pasta was already eaten in Italy by 500 BC.
3. As you'd expect, Italy is the country that eats the greatest amount of pasta worldwide. As you might not expect, however, the #2 and #3 countries that eat the most pasta are Venezuela and Tunisia.
4. The International Pasta Organization claims that if Italians ate their average yearly amount of pasta in spaghetti shape (rather than the numerous other varieties of pasta shapes), they would eat approximately 600 million kilometers of spaghetti — enough noodles to wrap around the planet 15,000 times.
5. According to the International Pasta Organization, there are more than 600 different shapes of pasta produced throughout the world.
6. The word 'pasta' actually has its origins in Greek and Latin and literally means "barley porridge" in Greek, and "dough pastry cake" in Latin. In Italian, however, the word means "paste" due to the way pasta is made, primarily by mixing water and flour along with other ingredients, such as eggs and olive oil
7. Eating pasta will make you happier! It's true — the carbohydrates in pasta increase the body's production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that scientists believe trigger feelings of happiness and well-being.
8. Pasta is believed to be very beneficial for dogs and cats, as it can help their growth development and provide them with beautiful, healthy and glossy coats. In fact, this is the reason why pasta is included in so many pet food products. Of course, while pasta can be great for your cats and dogs from time to time, it isn't recommended to give it to them too frequently.
9. Italy produces between 1,700,000 and 3,300,000 tons of pasta per year.
10. The average Italian eats 60 pounds of pasta per year.
