History of Lasagna:
Lasagna is perhaps one of the oldest types of pasta. Lasagna originated in ancient Greece. It was derived from the Greek word ‘Laganon’ which was used to describe flat dough sliced into strips and is the first known form of pasta. This dish was named by the method it was made rather than the ingredients it was made with.
Romans:
In 146BC Romans occupied Greece and espoused the culture and food as their own. They formed the word “Lasanum” or “Lasanon”, which was used to describe a cooking pot.
The term ‘Lagana’ used in Roman times, indicated the square or rectangular shaped thin sheets made using wheat flour, that would be baked or fire-cooked.
Italian’s:
However Italy claims that they were the one to come up with the first lasagna recipe. According to them lasagne originated in Italy, in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Regardless of where it came from, Italy holds the credit of perfecting lasagna by making its layers taste delicious. In Italy the word “Lasagna” referred to the pot in which the food was cooked. In Southern Italy they prepared the dough traditionally with semolina and water, whereas in Northern regions with flour and eggs.
The ingredients used in lasagna in Italy depends upon the people living in various parts of Italy. In the Southern part of Italy lasagna is served with rippled noodles while in the Northern part with flat noodles. One Italian recipe in the 16th century was made using cinnamon and sugar that was probably the sweet version of the pasta. Now people across the world are creating dessert lasagna to satisfy the demand for this delightful cuisine.
The earliest lasagna recipes known are dated from the thirteenth century. Britain claims to be the ones that invented the first lasagna according to the Cook Book with lasagna recipe found by the researchers.
The word lasagne is the plural form of lasagna which means more than one piece of lasagna ribbon. Lasagna usually falls into three categories; meat, vegetables or cheese. Typically it is made of stacked layers of flat pasta with different combinations like ground meats and tomato sauce (earlier Europeans were not familiar with tomatoes which states that they wouldn’t have used them in the recipes). They also use other vegetables, ricotta and parmesan cheese. Garlic, oregano and basil is used for seasoning. After that it is topped with melted and grated mozzarella cheese, then the cooked pasta is assembled with the other ingredients and baked.
There are countless types in this popular baked cuisine. The type of lasagna is based on the combination of cheeses, meat or vegetables. During 20th century Bologna- based restaurants popularised the use of spinach in the dough. Lasagna alla bolognese is a first dish consisting of layers of thin pasta dough made with flour, egg and spinach along with ragu sauce and bechamel in between.
Hence regardless of where it came from and who claims to be the first ones to invent it, we are grateful to this delicious dish that is served with various twists in its ingredients and taste.
