pasta [ˈpas·ta] N f
1. pasta (pastasciutta):
- In ancient times fresh noodles were made from flour, water, and salt. It was in the Middle Ages, during the Arab rule of Sicily, that people first began to dry and store noodle dough, a process which suddenly allowed pasta to spread first throughout Italy and then all over the world. The dozens of types of pasta known today include not only spaghetti and maccheroni, but also penne, tubetti, lumaconi, conchiglie, bucatini, fusilli, capelli d'angelo, rigatoni, linguine, ziti, and vermicelli.