World Pasta Day: How Indians embrace pasta with desi home recipes

Pasta can be considered the Italian equivalent of noodles. A dry version of wheat flour in various shapes, pasta can be cooked in a variety of sauces and ingredients, with a sprinkle of some cheese and viola, you have a warm, comforting and filling dish ready. Cooking pasta may be simple, but its history is a bit complicated. A common myth states that Marco Polo brought pasta from China to Italy in the 13th century. Some suggest that Arab traders introduced pasta to Sicily in the 8th and 9th centuries. There is no exact evidence of the origin of pasta.

Nowadays, pasta has been embraced all over the world, with each culture giving its own twist to this beloved Italian dish. Every year, 25th October is celebrated as World Pasta Day by pasta lovers. The day also promotes the eating of pasta along with its cultural and culinary significance.

Why do we celebrate World Pasta Day?

According to reports, World Pasta Day started on 25 October 1995 as part of the World Pasta Congress. Experts from around the world came together to discuss the glory of pasta and stressed the importance of spreading knowledge about the wide varieties of pasta.

^{Pasta is a favorite dish around the world. Photo: iStock}

How pasta made its way to India

While pasta is originally an Italian dish, what makes it extremely versatile is how different cultures can adapt the dish to suit their tastes. While many restaurants and cafes in India can offer you authentic Italian pasta, it is the desi households and local cafes that experiment extensively with home spices and local ingredients to give the pasta an Indian touch and flavour!

Also read: PASTA IN JUST 15 MINUTES – This chili oil pasta is perfect for a quick and delicious meal

Here are 5 fun and delicious desi-style pastas:

1. Butter Masala Pasta

Butter masala pasta is an Indian-style pasta recipe prepared in a thick and creamy sauce. This dish is filled with the spicy flavor of authentic Indian spices and fresh herbs including dried red chili, garam masala, turmeric and fresh coriander leaves, among other ingredients. Find the recipe here.

2. Mincemeat Pasta

Desi keema pasta is actually very similar to the Italian classic Spaghetti Bolognese. However, instead of beef mince, this recipe uses lamb mince. Additionally, it also contains Indian spices like bay leaves. Click here for the recipe.

3. Cheese-Ball Pasta

Many Indians are vegetarian so it would be no surprise to see the popular meatball spaghetti transformed into vegetarian cheese-ball spaghetti. To make this pasta, balls of cheese are shaped and fried, followed by a delicious tomato sauce and all this is arranged on top of spaghetti. Here is the full recipe.

Also read: Where can we find ‘Su Philindeau’? The world’s rarest and endangered pasta

4. Butter Chicken Pasta

^{Photo: iStock}

Butter chicken is a globally loved dish and foodies have wasted no time in experimenting with butter chicken and pasta fusions. outcome? Very tasty! It is essentially pasta mixed with sauce that is prepared exactly like the original butter chicken gravy. The final touch is to add the juicy chicken pieces. Click here for the recipe.

5. Chettinad Pasta

Yes, Chettinad pasta exists. This South Indian-style pasta includes curry leaves, coriander and Chettinad spice paste along with coconut, turmeric and other ingredients that create a delicious sauce. Click here to know in detail how to make the special Chettinad masala of Tamil Nadu. Try it, maybe you will like it.

What’s your favorite pasta shape and pasta sauce? Share with us in the comments section. Happy World Pasta Day!