World Pasta Day Date in the current year: October 25, 2024

The Italian term “pasta” refers to a type of food made from an unleavened dough formed into sheets or other shapes. Pasta dough is usually made of wheat flour mixed with water or sometimes eggs, although some pasta varieties may be made of rice flour or legumes. Vegetable juices or purees, herbs and spices may be added to the dough for color and flavor.

All pastas can be divided into two broad categories: fresh (pasta fresca) and dried (pasta secca). Fresh pasta is traditionally a homemade dish produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of a simple pasta maker. Died pasta is typically produced commercially via a process called extrusion, where dough is squeezed through small holes to produce the required shape and then cut into a specific size.

In addition, there are a lot of pasta varieties depending on the length and shape. The most popular ones include fettuccine, linguine, lasagna, macaroni, spaghetti, tagliatelle, vermicelli, conchiglie (“shells”), farfalle (“butterflies”), penne, alphabet pasta, cannelloni, ravioli, tortellini, gnocchi, etc.

Every region of Italy has its signature pasta dish. For example, Sicilian pasta alla norma is made of spaghetti or other pasta, slices of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, grated ricotta, and fresh basil. Residents of Bologna like their pasta served with Bolognese sauce, consisting of ground meat, a mix of vegetables, tomato paste, white wine, and milk. Spaghetti alla carbonara originated in Lazio; it is made with cured pork, raw eggs, and hard cheese.

In October 1995, forty pasta producers from various countries gathered in Rome for the first World Pasta Congress, where October 25 was declared World Pasta Day. The main objectives of the holiday are to promote pasta consumption, to increase awareness of its nutritional value and health benefits, and to introduce people to delicious and healthy pasta recipes.

Since 2005, World Pasta Day has been coordinated by the International Pasta Organization (IPO), founded at the 2005 World Pasta Congress and formally constituted a year later. Its members are pasta manufacturers associations from Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, France, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, the United States, and Venezuela.

World Pasta Day events include culinary workshops and pasta tastings, as well as seminars, conferences, and other professional events for pasta manufacturers and distributors, chefs, restaurant owners, and other industry stakeholders. The annual congress of the International Pasta Organization is also timed to coincide with the holiday.

The best thing about World Pasta Day is that you can celebrate it even if there are no official events near you. There are always options of going out to an Italian restaurant, ordering takeout, or cooking a pasta dish yourself. Don’t forget to snap a picture of your pasta before eating and share it on social media with the hashtag #WorldPastaDay!