World Pasta Day – October 25, 2021
Carb lovers of the world, behold: October 25 is World Pasta Day. People have been eating pasta since at least 5,000 B.C. However, this delightful holiday was only established in 1995, when 40 pasta producers from around the world gathered to hold the globe’s first World Pasta Congress. Since then, the world has joined forces each October to pay tribute to one of the most delicious and versatile foods known to man. Whether you prefer rigatoni, angel hair, or pappardelle, you’ll love this holiday!
HISTORY OF WORLD PASTA DAY
This may come as a shock, but Chef Boyardee did not invent pasta, although real-life Italian cook Hector Boiardi started the company in Pennsylvania over 80 years ago.
(By the way, he accumulated a net worth of $60 million.) Honestly, the world has enjoyed this dish since the first century AD.
While legend has it that Marco Polo imported pasta from China in the 1200s, British food writer Jane Grigson believes a Canadian spaghetti company may have started that tale in the 1920s.
We do know that dried pasta surged in popularity during the 14th and 15th centuries — mainly for its easy storage. This allowed people to bring pasta along on ships when exploring the New World.
Hungary boasted a pasta factory in 1859, while central Italy’s Buitoni Company began churning out pasta a mere eight years later. The trend moved into the present-day Czech Republic by 1884.
Is today National Pasta Day?
National Pasta Day falls on October 17. It’s a day for Americans to celebrate their undying devotion to one of our favorite — and simplest — foods. Pasta arrived in the U.S. during the late 19th century, when a large group of Italian immigrants moved to America.
When was National Pasta Day established?
No one seems to agree on when National Pasta Day started. We do know that President Jefferson, during a trip to France, was the first U.S. chief executive to try pasta back in the late 1700s.
What is celebrated on October 25?
Other October 25 holidays include National Art Day, National Breadstick Day (a favorite pasta side dish), and National Greasy Foods Day. Oh, and it’s Katy Perry’s Birthday if you’re keeping score.