The History of Pasta offers children a fresh and entertaining overview of this beloved food. Featuring text and graphics by illustrator Steven Guarnaccia and healthy recipes by Phaidon author Heather Thomas. From rigatoni to ravioli, linguine to lasagna, pasta comes to life through clever illustrations and fascinating facts that feed kids' imaginations—and their stomachs!
This book tells us where pasta comes from, what it is, how to eat it, the ingredients needed in the pantry. Also some essential cooking terms – knead, gratin, boil, bake. Some anecdotes such as, it is believed that pasta carbonara is one of the most cooked dishes on the planet. It is estimated that 14 billion pasta dishes are consumed worldwide every year.
A book about the history of pasta designed for the enjoyment of children
From farfalle, which means "butterflies" in Italian, to linguine, which means "little tongues." Different types of pasta have wonderfully fun shapes, names, and origins. Each pasta is accompanied by a simple recipe specially adapted to its shape.
Guarnaccia's illustrations are inspired by the shape, name and history of pasta: mermaids eat conchiglie shells. Aliens fly through space on their dischivolanti saucers and a hamster plays ring toss. This pun-based illustration style is the right kind of wackiness to support Heather Thomas' whimsical text, encouraging curiosity in the diverse and surprising stories behind food, such as:
- The tortellini: was supposedly created in honor of the navel of the goddess Venus. The origin of the story is so famous that there is an annual festival in the Italian town of Castelfranco Emilia. There where the actors dress in medieval costumes to recreate it.
- Stelline: the tiny star-shaped pasta, has been around since the XNUMXth century, long before the invention of the pasta making machine and that is why it was originally made by hand. Can you imagine carefully cutting out each little star when you wanted stelline for dinner?
The result is an entertaining, attractive, fact-filled and delicious proposal for all children interested in cooking and eating. It's a fresh and cheerful introduction to pasta, it's a fun-filled cookbook... and so much more!
