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! (1)
Claudio’s
In celebration of World Pasta Day, enjoy a special feature from October 20–26:
House-made Cappelletti — black cappelletti filled with shrimp mousse, served with leek purée and crispy shallots for $27.
Honey Salt
Honey Salt is celebrating World Pasta Day all weekend (October 24 to 26) with special prix fixe pasta menus designed for every type of diner.
Guests can enjoy a three-course dinner for $39, featuring a choice of appetizer (Caesar Salad or Crispy Fried Calamari), a hearty pasta main such as Beef Lasagna, Shrimp Scampi Linguini, Spaghetti & Meatballs, or Rigatoni alla Puttanesca, and a classic Tiramisu for dessert.
For younger diners, the Bambino Menu ($18) includes kid-friendly favourites like Macaroni & Cheese, Spaghetti & Meatballs, or Beef Lasagna, plus a scoop of gelato from Passione Gelato.
Groups can also opt for Pasta La Familia, a family-style menu ($35 per person, minimum two guests) featuring Savoury Monkey Bread, Caesar Salad, Chicken Parm, Rigatoni alla Puttanesca, Beef Lasagna, and Tiramisu.
Guests can enhance the experience with an Antipasto Platter, Italian wines by the glass or bottle, and signature cocktails such as the Cappelletti Collins or Normanac.
Quattro
For World Pasta Day, Quattro in Whistler invites guests to celebrate with authentic, house-made pasta and a special $40 three-course menu.
Known for crafting all of their pasta in-house, Quattro’s current menu features comforting favourites like Fusilli Tartufati with local mushrooms, truffle cream, sage, and pecorino, and Rigatoni della Casa with fennel sausage and San Marzano ragu.
C|Prime
World Pasta Day is one of Chef Behshad’s favourites, and he and his team make fresh pasta in-house every day. This year, they’re featuring a brand-new creation perfect for the occasion: Lasagna di Rotolo — layers of butternut squash, spinach, whipped lemon ricotta, sage, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and parmesan cream.
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.
During a stay in Paris, President Jefferson ate what he called “macaroni,” but it might have been any type of pasta.
He eventually returned to America with two cases. Pasta’s popularity further blossomed in the U.S. during the late 19th century, when a large group of Italian immigrants (mostly from Naples), moved to America.
The World Pasta Day holiday itself only recently began in 1995 when 40 pasta producers from around the world gathered to hold the first World Pasta Congress.
Since then, diners around the world have joined forces each October to pay tribute to one of the most delicious and versatile foods ever. (1)
(1) nationaltoday.com