Welcome to our series featuring Food Holidays: October 2022: National Pasta Month. I don’t know about you but I love Pasta. How about you? If you were going to have Pasta this evening what would you like to have and why?
National Pasta Month
Few dishes provide the comfortable feeling of a plate of Rigatoni and Sauce, Mac and Cheese, or Lasagne. Pasta has been a core food for millennia. With a bit of research you can find endless recipes that feature Pasta. Not only does Pasta fill you up, Pasta also has lots of nutrients to keep you healthy and energized. Which is why long-distance runners eat lots of Pasta before a big run. It makes sense for us to celebrate this versatile, useful and tasty food throughout National Pasta Month this October.
National Pasta Month Activities
- Get your family together and get creative! Challenge your friends to bring their very best Pasta dish, or to add a Pasta element to their favorite non-Pasta dish.
- From the Indian Kheer Vermicelli Pudding to Polish Peroghi Dumplings to the Egyptian street dish Koshari, there’s a global wealth of non-Italian and non-East Asian recipes that you can research, cook and serve to your loved ones.
- October is also National Dessert Month, so it’s time to try a sweet version of Pasta. Cook up Kugel, or Chocolate-stuffed Shells, or honey-sweetened Sicilian Pasta Crisps.
5 Pasta Facts
- In traditional Italian cuisine, Pasta is usually slightly undercooked and firm, or al dente, which literally means “to the tooth.”
- Pasta is actually OK for your dog or cat to eat in small amounts, as long as your pet isn’t allergic to Wheat.
- Italy classifies its Flour into three different types: 1, 0, or 00, with type 00 being the most fine, and thus best for Pasta.
- Most Pasta is made from Durham Flour, and can be kept uncooked for more than a year.
- According to the International Pasta Organization, more than 600 different shapes of Pasta are produced globally.
Why People Love National Pasta Month
- New research shows that people who eat Pasta generally have better diets than those who don’t, largely because they eat more necessary nutrients and less sugar. Pasta is cholesterol free and low in sodium!
- Pasta is a complex carbohydrate. Making Pasta a great source of sustained energy for both your brain and body for the entire day. Enriched Pastas also offer important energizing nutrients like folic acid, iron, and several B vitamins.
- If you’ve got Water, a pot, and a stove, you’re three-quarters of the way to a Sauce-ready Pasta entree. Pasta makes it easy to feed a big crowd, a hungry family, or an event at your community center!
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
