Not that it really matters all that much to today's consumer, but the origins of pasta eating remain the subject of some historical debate. Although the arguments often have nationalistic overtones, I remind myself that hurling epicurean epithets definitely beats the hell out of real life military battles. And wars have been fought over far sillier subjects of disagreement than the origin of pasta.
Even the linguistic possibilities are in dispute. Noodles are mentioned in the Bible (as well as in ancient Arabic writings from the same period) where they are known as itriyot, a word whose influence can still be heard in the dialects of places like Sicily or Puglia. Pasta means "paste" or "dough" in Italian, and is used not just for noodles but for all sorts of doughy derivations. The English word "noodle," it is alternately argued, descends from the Latin nodellus, (little knot). Macaroni is alternately credited either to the Greek ("blessed"), or the Italian ("maccare," meaning "to squash" or "to flatten"). I've also read that it's related to "Mascherone," one of characters in the Commedia dell'Arte, who wears a grotesque mask and is a glutton. Perhaps most appropriately for this piece, I've seen the name traced to a 19th century exclamation about dried pasta: "Si buoni ma caroni!"-"So good, but expensive." So true.
Though their prominence in North America is relatively recent, noodles are hardly a new form of nutrition. The ancient Hebrews ate them, as did Asians. The Chinese have been serving noodles since as early as the first century AD; by the time of the tenth century, noodle shops were popular in much of the country. Nearly everyone knows the tale of Marco Polo who supposedly brought pasta back to Italy from China at the end of the 13th century. For better or worse, the story seems to been largely discredited-in various forms noodles seem to have shown up in Italy long before Mr. Polo's trip. Roman cooks served something called laganum, perhaps an early form of lasagna, though it was likely cooked on hot stones or ovens not boiled as would be done with more modern noodles.
One theory has it that pasta arrived in Italy with nomadic Berber tribes based in North Africa. An Arab geographer visiting the Sicily over a hundred years before Marco made his way back from Asia reported seeing noodles being made on the island. It's likely that both India and parts of the Middle East were also eating noodles extensively by the 12th or 13th century. Most specifically the inventory of a Genoese merchant made in 1279 records macaroni. By the start of the 15th century dried pasta, usually referred to then as vermicelli, was being commercially produced in Italy. Back then the kneading of the dough was done by foot, not by machine; extrusion was driven by large screw press powered by couple of strong men, or, alternatively an equally powerful "equine" engine. In its early Italian incarnations pasta might well have been as likely served fried as boiled, and to have been offered up sweet (think rice pudding) as savory.
Origins aside, pasta's wide scale popularity in Italy dates to the early 18th century when new machines made it possible to produce on more of a commercial scale. Although Sicily had been the major source for pasta in medieval times, in the modern era it was supplanted by Naples. The all-important hard durum wheat was well-suited to the soil of the area, and hot winds from the mountains alternated with much milder sea air to create an ideal climate for drying. By the end of the century the number of pasta-making-shops in the town had grown nearly fivefold. A Sunday afternoon stroll would have likely meant seeing notable quantities of noodles drying outdoors on rooftops or just about any other seemingly suitable spot.
Interestingly dried pasta at this point in history had pretty much remained an product preferred by the Italian upper classes. Much like coffee or chocolate, dried pasta was a manufactured item, which meant that it had to be paid for in cash. For peasants, living on the land this was not an available option. So, once again, today's cheap alternative was a 19th century luxury; conversely, the modern luxury of making pasta at home was then the affordable norm.
18th century British travelers had brought pasta back to the UK from Naples, from whence it made its way to North America. Thomas Jefferson is said to have shipped Neapolitan pasta back home to Virginia in 1789. A year earlier a Frenchman opened pasta factory in Philadelphia. While the product migrated the Italian artistry with pasta stayed put; more often than not North Americans served only overcooked macaroni mixed with melted cheese. Although at the beginning of the 19th century there were hardly any Italians in the United States, by 1910 there were nearly 4,000,000. In the process, pasta making in America boomed.
Despite increased domestic pasta production Italian-Americans still generally opted for imported product when they could because it was made from the harder, tastier durum wheat. Much American made pasta started with softer wheat, often deceptively colored with yellow to give it the look of semolina. At the end of the 19th century canned macaroni with tomato sauce (Spaghetti-Os) hit the market. When the First World War interrupted the flow of imports from Italy, more pasta factories opened on American shores. In 1927 the cardboard containers Kraft macaroni and cheese appeared. Half a century later I started eating them.