Starting with the pasta itself (not how it’s prepared), they use different ingredients. Italian pasta is usually made from high quality duram wheat, whereas American made pastas use a variety of flours, and usually includes eggs (rare with Italian pasta), which results in a softer cooked product. That leads to cooking differences, where Italians prefer firmer texture (al dente), whereas Americans tend to have it softer.
And then we have sauces. Italians usually keep it simple with a handful of ingredients, and Americans add milk/cream, sugar, cheese, or anything else that sounds good. Americans also go overboard on the sauce, so you get a lot less of the pasta flavor (yes, pasta has flavor, y’all need to add salt to the water).
And that’s restaurant quality pasta dishes. It gets wild when you look at what’s in those prepared meals in the freezer section.
I give pizza a pass because I don’t like bread much (yes, I’ve had good Italian pizza), so loading up on toppings works really well. But I just don’t like the mushy mess that is American-style pasta.
And then we have sauces. Italians usually keep it simple with a handful of ingredients, and Americans add milk/cream, sugar, cheese, or anything else that sounds good. Americans also go overboard on the sauce, so you get a lot less of the pasta flavor
What the fuck Americans?
(yes, pasta has flavor, y’all need to add salt to the water).
Wait do Americans not do that? In that case I have to thank Italian Reunification for giving the Middle East real pasta.
Yeah, a lot of people just toss the pasta in bong boiling water and pull it out when it’s soft. Sometimes they’ll add oil to stop it from sticking (due to overcooking already soft pasta), and they’re shocked when I tell them they need to add salt.
You’re obviously not Italian…
Starting with the pasta itself (not how it’s prepared), they use different ingredients. Italian pasta is usually made from high quality duram wheat, whereas American made pastas use a variety of flours, and usually includes eggs (rare with Italian pasta), which results in a softer cooked product. That leads to cooking differences, where Italians prefer firmer texture (al dente), whereas Americans tend to have it softer.
And then we have sauces. Italians usually keep it simple with a handful of ingredients, and Americans add milk/cream, sugar, cheese, or anything else that sounds good. Americans also go overboard on the sauce, so you get a lot less of the pasta flavor (yes, pasta has flavor, y’all need to add salt to the water).
And that’s restaurant quality pasta dishes. It gets wild when you look at what’s in those prepared meals in the freezer section.
I give pizza a pass because I don’t like bread much (yes, I’ve had good Italian pizza), so loading up on toppings works really well. But I just don’t like the mushy mess that is American-style pasta.
What the fuck Americans?
Wait do Americans not do that? In that case I have to thank Italian Reunification for giving the Middle East real pasta.
Most pasta in the US suggests to salt the water when you boil it, I don’t think many Americans do. My mother didn’t, at least.
This may be a result of the war on salt that came from heart disease concerns of the 80s/90s.
Yeah, a lot of people just toss the pasta in bong boiling water and pull it out when it’s soft. Sometimes they’ll add oil to stop it from sticking (due to overcooking already soft pasta), and they’re shocked when I tell them they need to add salt.