One of Italy's greatest gifts to the taste bud takes centre stage Wednesday at the ninth edition of World Pasta Day. Rome is hosting the event this year and shining the spotlight on the goodies produced by the nation's unrivalled pasta-makers.
One third of the 11.5 million tonnes of pasta gobbled up around the world every year is produced in Italy - where it is only made from durum wheat flour - according to the Union of Italian Pasta-makers (UNIPI). "Italy's pasta-making traditions give added value to a quality raw material, durum wheat. Our pasta-makers know how difficult it is to obtain a quality product from just one ingredient," said UNIPI President Mario Rummo.
"This is why Italian pasta recipes and know-how, our special blends of wheat, should be promoted".
Organizers said World Pasta Day 2006 will be a celebration of the versatility of a product that can be prepared in an infinite variety of ways. They are also highlighting the fact that pasta is classless.
Although a key element of gourmet cuisine, part of pasta's appeal is its cheapness, with half a kilo costing as little as a cup of coffee. This means it is also a staple of poor people's diets all over the world. This year's events include the debut meeting of members of the International Pasta Organization (IPO), which was founded in Barcelona on World Pasta Day last year.
As well as UNIPI, the IPO is composed of producer associations from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Uruguay, the USA and Venezuela. It aims to promote the culinary and nutritional benefits of pasta and provide a system through which producers can self-regulate the preparation of quality pasta.
Pasta is a key part of the Mediterranean diet which, advocates say, has helped give Italy the longest life-expectancy rates in Europe. According to national statistics institute ISTAT, Italian men currently have a life expectancy of 77.4, while Italian women can expect to live to 83.
Italy's obsession with pasta apparently goes back a long way.
Utensils used to make pasta, including rolling pins and pasta cutters, have been found in Etruscan tombs and in archaeological digs of ancient Roman settlements throughout Europe. However, conventional wisdom has it that Venetian explorer Marco Polo brought pasta back to Italy in the 13th century from China.
According to one recent poll, classic pasta with fresh tomato sauce and basil remains the favourite for 53.8% of Italians, while 20.6% prefer a stewed meat and tomato ragu topping and only 7.7% a fish-based sauce. Italians are the world's biggest consumers of pasta by a long chalk, eating an annual 28kg per capita compared to second-placed Venezuelans, who eat 12.7kg, and the Americans, who eat just under seven kilos a year.
