Pasta has to be Italy's greatest contribution to world cuisine. Most people usually associate pasta with noodles, but pasta actually refers to a wide assortment of flour and grain concoctions that come in a variety of shapes. Macaroni is one such pasta that is not in noodle form. The word pasta comes from the Italian word for paste or dough. Italian Pasta also refers to dishes that have pasta as the main ingredient and which are usually spruced up with sauce or a type of seasoning. Pasta is the most flexible Italian fare. It is the most widely known and can be found all over the world. But it is easy to go wrong with it and to end up with a soggy uninspiring mess.
Home cooks and chefs today are becoming more sophisticated about what really are authentic Italian recipes. Well, Italian Pasta can be simple or elaborate, practical or as foolish, store bought or made at home. But even more today, Italian recipes had become the world's most important culinary art, and almost where ever you go you will find an Italian restaurant on the corner of a road. While there are many ways for cooking Italian pasta, a few offer the user a nicely cooked non-sticky noodle to work with. In many of the dishes that the Italians make, noodles are used in conjunction with other ingredients.
There are ways to ensure that your pasta is cooked right and can be used easily as part of a dish or the main course. The range of Italian sauces goes well far from simple cream sauces. Pasta is the simplest of Italian foods.