When was lasagna invented

But as much as we eat and love this Italian favorite, have you ever wondered who invented lasagna? The origins of the word lasagne or lasagna can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Laganon was a reference to flat sheets of pasta dough cut into thin strips. As you might expect, Laganon looked very different from what we know to be a typical lasagna dish today. It consisted of layers of pasta and sauce without traditional Italian ingredients.

Italians used this word to refer to the pot that the dish was served in. Eventually, the dish evolved and took on the same name. The origins of what we know as twisted macaroni came later. Lasagne is the plural word for one sheet of lasagna and is used regionally throughout Italy. The plural form is mostly used in British English, while American English is known to use the singular version.

When was lasagna invented? The Italian favorite of lasagne or lasagna that we all know and love originated in Italy in the city of Naples during the Middle Ages.

One of the first references to modern-day lasagne can be found in a 14th-century English cookbook that highlighted a dish with layers of pasta without the tomatoes. Later, another reference was made to lasagne in an Italian cookbook in the s that featured tomato sauce. Different areas may use different dough or sauces. The Greeks are believed to have first settled in the area of Naples in 2BC and it is currently the third-largest city of Italy.

Naples is also the capital city of Campania, one of the most populous areas in Italy. It eventually became the epicenter of culture for the Roman empire and played a key role as the capital of the Duchy of Naples and the Kingdom of Naples. Eventually, it became the center of the baroque period and an artistic renaissance sparked by the famed Italian painter Caravaggio. Italy By Train. Email Address. Subscribe to Free Newsletter.

Babilonia — Italian courses in Taormina, Sicily. With us you don't study. Early bird fee available now for January courses. But scholars claim this recipe book formed from recipes collected from all over Europe and the arab world, so this could be referencing recipes from Italy. Source 1 Mediaeval recipe.

A slightly early cookbook from Italy called the Liber de Coquina details layers of pasta with cheese and spices, such as nutmeg and pepper, between each layer. A little closer to modern lasagna, but still no ragu. Once we hit the 16th century, tomatoes have made it to Italy. Just that a book exists. It seems likely though that the modern Lasagne was conceived around this time.

With all the elements we expect. BUT was it invented in Napoli, or was it just first recorded in Napoli? No one seems to know. But this actually brings us back to the original definition of Lasagne. Lasagne Napoletana also called Lasagne di Carnevale, from Napoli, is different from the internationally recognised Lasagne al forno, which is from Emilia Romagna.

The Napoli version is made with layers of pasta and ragu, but also with layers of ricotta cheese, mozzarella, sausage and or meatballs, and sometimes even with sliced boiled egg. By contrast, the internationally famed Emilia Romagna version is layers of Ragu, and of Bechamel sauce, a cheese sauce which is, in Emilia Romagna, made with the local Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The differing ingredients of the Napoli and Emilia Romagna Lasagne reflect what was produced locally in the region at the time — different types of cheese.

But which came first? But, if the presence of Tomatoes was important, then Napoli is more likely to have been successfully cultivating tomatoes and having easy access to them, sooner and more regularly than Bologna. So, perhaps Lasagne Napoletana came first. But, these are two different types of Lasagne, with the Emilia Romagna version, seemingly having gained a wider popularity and being most commonly emulated worldwide. Although Emilia Romagna actually uses green spinach pasta lasagna sheets, and that is less common worldwide.

Yet another variation! Italy but from influences that pre-date the tomato. And the city states of the region invented multiple varieties around about the same time it seems. So, it was really invented in the area now known as Italy.