PASTA: THE STORY OF A UNIVERSAL FOOD arts and traditions of the table arts and traditions of the table:perspectives on culinary history Albert Sonnenfeld,series editor Salt:Grain of Life Pierre Laszlo,translated by Mary Beth Mader The Civilization of the Fork Giovanni Rebora,translated by Albert Sonnenfeld French Gastronomy:The History and Geography of a Passion Jean-Robert Pitte,translated by Jody Gladding Pasta THE STORY OF A UNIVERSAL FOOD Silvano Serventi and Françoise Sabban Translated by Antony Shugaar columbia university press new york columbia university press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester,West Sussex Copyright © 2000Gius.Laterza and Figli SpA Translation copyright © 2002Columbia University Press All rights reserved This translation of La Pasta:Storia e cultura di un cibo universale is published by arrangement with Gius.Laterza and Figli SpA,Rome-Bari. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Serventi,Silvano. [Pasta.English] Pasta :the story of a universal food / Silvano Serventi and Françoise Sabban ; translated by Antony Shugaar. p.cm.— (Arts and traditions of the table) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn0–231–12442–2(alk.paper) 1.Cookery (Pasta) 2.Pasta industry. I.Sabban,Françoise. II.Title. III.Series. TX809.M17S4713 2002 641.8'22—dc21 2002073840 Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America c 10987654321 CONTENTS Series Editor’s Preface ix Preface xi Note Concerning a Definition of Pasta Products xvii Acknowledgments xix Introduction:In the Beginning Was Wheat 1 the king of cereals of the mediterranean 1 wheat in china,a latter-day use 4 1. The Infancy of an Art 9 going back to the myths 10 pasta,an unthinkable food source 12 first words,first hypotheses 14 the classical heritage 15 the sacred space of pasta 19 the primordial shape 22 lasagne:the original dough sheet 24 the family of vermicelli 28 dry pasta,fresh pasta 32 later developments of two traditions 34 recognition of a culinary category 38 2. The Time of the Pioneers 41 sicily,the cradle of dry pasta 42 sardinia and other centers of production 44 an article of mass trade 48 the market for dry pasta 50 the fresh pasta shop 53 rolling pins,blades,and brakes 56 3. From the Hand to the Extrusion Press 63 the routes of wheat 64 the emancipation of the pasta makers 70 the triumph of the brake 77 the revolution of the extrusion press 83 portrait of the modern pasta manufacturer 87 4. The Golden Age of the Pasta Manufactory 91 the birth of manufacturing 93 artisanal manufacturing 98 the hand that makes:the role of women 102 natural drying 108 a short guide to italian manufacturers 115 macaroni from naples and fine pasta from genoa 119 5. The Industrial Age 127 the momentum of modernity 128 the mechanics of progress 133 vi contents the bronze man;or,the automated dough kneader 136 the triumph of the machine 142 drying without sunlight 150 the splendor and misery of a world in transformation 157 from the industrial revolution to the food revolution 162 6. Pasta Without Borders 169 the new horizons of pasta 170 from germany to the land of the cossacks 172 transatlantic migrations 175 french traditions 176 alsace and the passion for egg pasta 184 pasta from the new world:the example of the united states 188 7. The Time of Plenty 197 the world of pasta 199 the thwarted ambitions of french industrialists 201 the italian reconquest 203 american lessons 208 victories and defeats in the regulation of raw materials 212 the return to favor of artisans 216 the empire of fresh pasta 222 8. The Taste for Pasta 227 a tradition that comes from faraway 230 the gastronomy of fresh pasta 233 stuffed pasta:shapes,colors,and flavors 238 dry pasta as an architecture for the mouth 243 from pasta that melts in your mouth to pasta al dente 253 contents vii pasta and its companions 257 pasta on the menu 267 9. China:Pasta’s Other Homeland 271 of pasta,breads,and flatbreads:the paradigm 276 BING the distinguishing features of a civilization 279 favorite food of scholarly society 286 the worshipful 294 BING the allure of pasta and the original form 297 the first recipes 304 the popularity of throughout china 311 BING pasta products of the north spread to the south 315 exotic flavors,methods,and preparations 325 the end of a history,the richness of a heritage 333 10. The Words of Pasta 345 pasta:the gluttony of the land of cockaigne 345 pasta and temperance 346 a whiff of cinnamon 347 in search of italian pasta 348 service italian-style 349 the macaronic cademy 350 “spiked”macaroni casanova-style 350 neapolitan folklore 352 conviviality around the 353 TAVERNA the dandy at the manufactory 356 behind the scenes in the pasta industry 357 the dreams of the hand 358 Notes 361 Bibliography 391 Index 413 viii contents SERIES EDITOR’S PREFACE And so we have The broth seasoned with three meats, The flour made of wheat of the fifth month. Suddenly [the dough] swims in the water where it is stretched out into long strings That are lighter than a feather in the wind. (Fu Xuan,217–278) In our age of undeniable globalization and world travel,I find it more than a little comforting to reiterate what turns out to be a fable. I earnestly want to lend credence to Marco Polo’s mission to Venice in 1296as an emissary of pasta from a culinarily advanced China,import- ing that future staple of la cucina italianato the peninsula and coincid- ing chronologically with the “creation”of the Italian language and lit- erature by Dante’s Commedia. A fable it is,alas.Nor,as is often suggested,did these cereal-based preparations migrate to Europe to accompany nutritively the west- ward wanderings of nomadic Arab tribes.To make pasta would have required access to a reliable supply of flour or semolina,to harvesters and millers—hardly the wherewithal of the nomad! These legends are the stuff of which gastronomic dreams of simplic- ity and unity are made.The demonstrable truth is far more complex.