Pasta/Noodles   One of the most simple and most debated foods, the origins of pasta and noodles are difficult to trace precisely. A simple preparation of flour and water whose appearance in Europe has long been credited to the writer and traveller, Marco Polo, upon his return from China in the 13th century. However, there would seem to be compelling evidence to show that this basic, boiled unleavened bread was actually known to Europeans well before Signor Polo’s travels. One legend describes the arrival of pasta in Italy, brought by Germanic tribes in the 5th century, the secret of its production passed on to an amorous Roman soldier by the kitchen maid of one of the Chieftans. Even today, in Germany, there exists Spatzle, homemade wheat flour, soft noodles. More concrete proof can be found, however, such as the early Etruscan relief at Caere, dating to around the fourth century BC, which depicts a scene where pasta-making equipment appears to be in use. In Jerusalem, Talmudic debates during the 5th century AD raised the question of whether boiled dough would qualify as unleavened bread under Jewish dietary law and the Persians, who influenced cooking style wherever they went, had a boiled tagliatelle-like dish which they called lakhshah (slippery). From another Arabic source, texts dating from the 10th century mention dried pasta strips, which they called itriyah, being on sale from food traders. Interestingly, and probably because of their strong historical links with the Arab world, Sicilians were reported by a 12th century Arab writer and geographer, al-Idrisi, as having a food made from long strings of dough, which they called trii. Finally, Genoan archives for the year 1279 list dried macaroni in the details of an estate of a deceased citizen, one Ponzio Bastone. As Marco Polo did not arrive back in Venice until 1298, it is probably safe to say that pasta, in some form or another, was already in use in European kitchens. No matter how pasta, or to give it its full name, pasta alimentaria, evolved, the Italians had decided pretty early on how best it should be prepared. Platina’s De Honesta Voluptate, written in 1475, gives directions for one pasta dish, stating that it should be cooked only for as long as it takes to repeat 3 Paternosters, indicating that, even then, Italians preferred their pasta al dente, with a little ‘bite’. Pasta production was mechanised in Naples in 1878, causing riots of near Luddite proportions, and in 1882, British-made kneaders, extruders and cutters followed. By 1933, at the height of Mussolini’s power, the manufacturing company, Braibanti, set up the first fully mechanized, continuous production line. Nutritionally, pasta is one of the ‘good guys’. All forms of pasta score well on the Glycaemic Index - the scale invented to help in the treatment of diabetes, which is used to measure the rate at which blood sugar levels rise when a particular carbohydrate bearing food is ingested. Low level GI foods are more complex and hence digested more slowly, ensuring a longer feeling of satiety, longer term energy maintenance and keeping blood sugar levels constant. The complex carbohydrate structure of pasta is broken down slowly by the body and used to build up stores of energy or glycogen, ensuring that its GI score is always in the desireable sub-50 range. For this reason pasta is a favourite with athletes when preparing for endurance events where stamina is essential. Another surprising fact about pasta is that it is quite a low-fat food, taken with the right sauces. 100g of white, boiled spaghetti contains, on average, 73.8g water, 3.6g protein, 0.7g fat, 22.2g carbohydrate, 0.5g sugar, 1.2g fibre, 7mg calcium, 0.5mg iron and has a calorific count of just 104 kcalories.