Spaghetti

Spaghetti(Italian:[spaˈɡetti]) is a long, thin, solid, cylindricalpasta.It is astaple foodof traditionalItalian cuisine.Like other pasta, spaghetti is made ofmilledwheat, water, and sometimesenrichedwith vitamins and minerals. Italian spaghetti is typically made fromdurum-wheatsemolina.Usually the pasta is white because refined flour is used, but whole wheat flour may be added.Spaghettoniis a thicker form of spaghetti, while spaghettini is a thinner form.Capelliniis a very thin spaghetti, whilevermicellirefers to intermediate thicknesses.
Originally, spaghetti was notably long, but shorter lengths gained in popularity during the latter half of the 20th century and now it is most commonly available in 25–30 cm (10–12 in) lengths. A variety of pasta dishes are based on it and it is frequently served withtomato sauce, meat or vegetables.
Spaghettiis the plural form of theItalianwordspaghetto, which is adiminutiveofspago, meaning 'thin string' or 'twine'.
Some historians think that Arabs introduced pasta to Europe during a conquest ofSicily. In the West, it may have first been worked into long, thin forms in Sicily around the 12th century, as theTabula RogerianaofMuhammad al-Idrisiattested, reporting some traditions about theKingdom of Sicily.
The popularity of spaghetti spread throughout Italy after the establishment of spaghetti factories in the 19th century, enabling the mass production of spaghetti for the Italian market.
Spaghetti is made from ground grain (flour) and water.Whole-wheat and multigrain spaghetti are also available.
Pasta can be made at home, cutting sheets of flattened dough with a knife into ribbons,rather than spaghetti with circular cross-section. Some pasta machines have a spaghetti attachment with circular holes that extrude spaghetti, or shaped rollers that form cylindrical noodles.
Spaghetti can be made by hand by manually rolling a ball of dough on a surface to make a long sausage shape. The ends of the sausage are pulled apart to make a long thin sausage. The ends are brought together and the loop pulled to make two long sausages. The process is repeated until the pasta is sufficiently thin. The pasta knobs at each end are cut off leaving many strands which may be hung up to dry.
Fresh spaghetti is usually cooked within hours of being formed. Commercial versions of fresh spaghetti are manufactured.
The bulk of dried spaghetti is produced in factories using augerextruders. While essentially simple, the process requires attention to detail to ensure that the mixing and kneading of the ingredients produces a homogeneous mix, without air bubbles. The forming dies have to be water cooled to prevent spoiling of the pasta by overheating. Drying of the newly formed spaghetti has to be carefully controlled to prevent strands sticking together, and to leave it with sufficient moisture so that it is not too brittle. Packaging for protection and display has developed from paper wrapping to plastic bags and boxes.
Fresh or dry spaghetti is cooked in a large pot of salted, boiling water and then drained in acolander(Italian:scolapasta).
In Italy, spaghetti is generally cookedal dente(lit.'to the tooth'), fully cooked but still firm to the bite. It may also be cooked to a softer consistency.
Spaghettoniis a thicker spaghetti which takes more time to cook. Spaghettini is a thinner form which takes less time to cook.Capelliniis a very thin form of spaghetti which cooks very quickly.
Utensilsused in spaghetti preparation include the spaghetti scoop and spaghetti tongs.
An emblem ofItalian cuisine, spaghetti is frequently served withtomato sauce, which may contain variousherbs(especiallyoreganoandbasil),olive oil, meat, or vegetables. Other spaghetti preparations includeamatricianaorcarbonara. Gratedhard cheeses, such aspecorino romano,Parmesan, andGrana Padano, are often sprinkled on top.
Below are some of the most important spaghetti dishes:
In the Philippines, a popular variant is theFilipino spaghetti, which is distinctively sweet with the tomato sauce sweetened withbanana ketchupor sugar. It typically uses a large amount ofginiling(ground meat), slicedhot dogs, and cheese. The dish dates back to the period between the 1940s to the 1960s. During theAmerican Commonwealth Period, a shortage of tomato supplies in theSecond World Warforced the development of the banana ketchup.Spaghetti was introduced by the Americans and was tweaked to suit the local Filipino predilection for sweet dishes.
Sapaketti phat khi mao(spaghetti frieddrunken noodlestyle) is a popular dish inThai cuisine.
Spaghetti is a main part oflaksaJohor, a specialty fromJohor, Malaysia.
By 1955, annual consumption of spaghetti in Italy doubled from 14 kilograms (31 lb) per person beforeWorld War IIto 28 kilograms (62 pounds).By that year, Italy produced 1,432,990 tons of spaghetti, of which 74,000 wereexported, and had a production capacity of 3 million tons.
Pasta providescarbohydrates, along with someprotein,iron,dietary fiber,potassium, andB vitamins.Pasta prepared withwhole wheatgrain provides more dietary fiberthan that prepared with degermed flour.
Poorly structuredcomputersource codeis often described asspaghetti code.
In women's clothing, very thin straps supporting a dress or topwear are called "spaghetti straps".
The termspaghetti Westernwas used by American critics and those in other countries because most of theWestern moviesmade in Europe were produced and directed byItalians.
In the 1955 animated movieLady and the Tramp, the sequence of the title characters sharing a plate of spaghetti—climaxed by an accidental kiss as they swallow opposite ends of the same strand of spaghetti—is considered an iconic scene in American film history.
The BBC television programPanoramafeatured ahoax program about the spaghetti harvestin Switzerland onApril Fools' Dayin 1957.
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