To most of us our mouths water when we hear the word Lasagna . The combination of bechamel, pasta and cheese and whatever its filling, delights children and adults and is a sure success at the table. If you travel to Italy, surely among the pasta dishes that you enjoy will be the lasagna. If they ask you where this dish comes from, surely you will answer that ... from Italy !, well, it is not like that. Surprised? Join us in Supercurious to know the Origin of Lasagna , as we said ... It did not take place in Italy!
The origin of lasagna did not take place in Italy. Discover it!
In the different definitions of what is a lasagna there are some points in which they coincide: it is a question of n Layered pasta dish that is placed in layers and baked. The experts who take this basic definition for granted claim that the origin of lasagna is not in Italy, but in Greece (which of course becomes one of the Curiosities of Italy and also one of the Curiosities of Greece ).
1. Where the Lasagna was born
There is no discussion that lasagna as we know it today is Italian, but the origin of lasagna is not Italian, but Greek. In the Greek kitchen and later in the Roman one there was a specialty called « λάγανον », l aganon, laganum or lagana also known as "tracta" or "tractum" . At different times and places in Ancient Greece, the "laganon" (which is the name of the container in which this culinary specialty was cooked), was an unleavened bread, something similar to a pancake and finally a kind of pasta that was He had alternating layers of dough and sauce and was baking in a laganon. It is considered to be the first known form of pasta .
In Rome, Cicero (106 a.C.-43 a.C.) already mentioned in his writings his passion for the «Lagum» that they were long strips of pasta, reason why the experts suppose that in that moment they began to develop the first machines to stretch the mass of the pasta. But really it was not until the seventeenth century that a dish really similar to what we know as lasagna appeared . There are recipes for lasagna-like dishes in cookbooks of Great Britain and Italy of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In the book «Lucerna de Corteggiani» (1634), by Giovan Battista Crisci, we have the first lasagna recipe in the current style, with sheets of pasta, mozzarella, cheese and baked. The next step is found in «Il Principe dei Cuochi» that was published in Naples in the year 1881 and it is the first time The use of tomatoes in the lasagna recipe is suggested.
Some defenders of the Italianity of lasagna say that, in reality, there is no definite recipe for the Greek dish "laganon" and that this was simply a dish of layered baked pasta. In any case, as the name "lasagna" seems to come from the Greek word, it is easy to think that The original idea of assembling pasta in layers, with filling and cheese, was born in Greece . From Greece it happened to the Ancient Rome and centuries later it gave rise to the lasagna that we know and adore today.
2. Most popular Lasagna varieties
The most popular varieties of the lasagna are those of the Emilia-Romagna region which is made with the traditional ragù boloñés layers and a cheese sauce made with Parmigiano Reggiano and which in many occasions incorporates spinach pasta, so it has a greenish and delicious color lasagna napolitan a with small meatballs instead of minced meat. We also found Lasagna with vegetables, fish and made with poultry . There are them for all tastes and we do not worry to delight with them what the true origin of lasagna is! We will let Greeks and Italians fight among themselves and we will dedicate ourselves to enjoy it.
3. Curiosities of the Lasagna
- There is a National Day of Lasagna , is on July 29, although the date does not seem very consistent since, traditionally, it is a dish of winter or low temperature periods because it is baked and served hot.
- Really There are two types of lasagna that differ basically in the composition of the pasta sheets. One is made with flour and egg and the other with semolina and water.
- Although you find it surprising, there are people who they cook their lasagna in the dishwasher . You can see it in the video below. Really curious!
- Garfield cat's favorite food is ... lasagna! Jim Davis its creator was also a fan of this dish.
- In Naples Thursday Lardero is served the so-called Lasagna of Carnival. The filling consists of meatballs, sausages, ricotta cheese, mozzarella and boiled egg.
- The experts in this dish, although it has nothing to do with the origin of the lasagna, say that the ideal number of layers is five .
- One of the most exquisite and expensive lasagna that you can prepare the lasagna «all'albese» which is prepared with white truffle.
- The Gerstenberg publishing house designed a very, very, curious book. Each page of the book is made of lasagna pasta and when turning the pages-layers you discover the next step to make the lasagna. Finally, it is the book itself that you eat.
- In the Italian region of Las Marias lasagna is known as «Vincisgrassi» and it is a specialty in which the meat of the stuffing is made of giblets (viscera).
In addition to the Origin of Lasagna, do not miss ...
If you have enjoyed knowing in our company the origin of lasagna, do not miss this suggestion. And it is that not only a dish as typically Italian as the Lasagna has its origin elsewhere. One of the best Curiosities of Japan is that a Japanese dish as popular as sushi did not originate in the Japanese country. Do you want to find out? Then do not stop reading our entry about The Origin of Sushi .
Did you know that the origin of lasagna was not in Italy? What is your favorite lasagna recipe? Leave us a comment and tell us all your impressions. We love that you share with us!