People eat pasta all across the globe. The origins of pasta is murky and varies in different cultures. According to the National Pasta Association, the Italian merchant traveler Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy when he found it in the late 13th century in far Eastern countries. However, the Etruscan tombs showed people making food that looked like pasta in 4th century B.C. and the Chinese were making a similar food around 3,000 B.C.
Part of the art in cooking with pasta involves the different shapes and flavors blended with a particular kind of sauce and additional ingredients, according to chef Geoge Skandalos of Maialina Pizzaeria Napoletara.
“For me, what I tried to do is basically when I get ingredients — now I have a bunch of spinach so we’re making spinach pasta with it — I just take whatever ingredient is that I have and try to present it in the way that it’s going to be able to speak for itself,” the Maialina Pizzeria Napoletana Skandolos said.
Pasta is popular around the world, due to its varieties of flavors and shapes. Skandolos said the restaurant changes the flavors of pasta regularly. The National Pasta Association has listed the different pasta flavors, shapes and the most popular pasta dishes.
Skandolos said there is always biases on the taste, so he doesn’t necessarily take into account of what people in Moscow are after.
“I just think if I do my job correctly, I take the ingredients and I season it properly, season it well, I think that’s going to appeal to most people here,” Skandolos said.
Chin-Lun Hsu
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