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Bob & LBF in the Morning

Bob & LBF in the Morning

Bob & LBF in the Morning

National Pasta Day, Here’s 7 Fun Facts About One Of Our Favorite Foods

Author Bob Bronson

Everybody loves pasta!

We’re pretty sure that pasta is America’s favorite dish. For one thing, it’s a very diverse food. Unlike, say rice, where there’s only a few things you can do with it because it is not as varied in it’s styles. With pasta you can have it as a spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, penne, ziti, lasagna and so many more ways. Which of course lends itself to having it hundreds of different ways. Entire cookbooks are written on the many varieties of pasta.

It’s National Pasta Day!  A poll found 75% of us eat it at least once a week, including 5% who said every day.  So what’s your favorite pasta SHAPE?  Spaghetti is #1 with 33% of the vote, followed by penne and macaroni.

It may be National Pasta Day,  but for 1 in 20 people, that’s EVERY day.  5% of Americans say they eat it daily

A few national chains have pasta deals.  Nothing too crazy, but Today.com did a round-up if you want to check it out.  They went with the excellent headline, “Eight Pasta Day Deals to Save a PENNE or Two.”

 

Here are a few more stats on our pasta-eating habits . . .

 

1.  What’s your favorite pasta shape?  Spaghetti is #1 with 33% of the vote.  Then it’s penne, 12% . . . macaroni, 11% . . . and tortellini, 7%. You can never go wrong with having spaghetti in the pantry. Of course, it’s always a good idea to keep many different pasta types in the house as well. Easy peasy to make, even if you have it plain with a little olive oil and parmesean cheese.

 

 

2.  What’s the best pasta shape specifically for mac-and-cheese?  Macaroni got the most votes.  But 12% prefer shells . . . 7% prefer corkscrews . . . 6% said bowtie pasta . . . 5% like penne . . . and 5% think rotini is best. Let’s be honest, any kind of mac and cheese is delish, and these days it’s becoming more and more stylized with hundreds of new and exciting recipes for it. Like lobster or hamburger made to taste like a Big Mac

 

 

3.  What’s your favorite sauce . . . alfredo, pesto, or spaghetti sauce?  52% said spaghetti sauce, and 44% said alfredo.  Just 4% said pesto is their #1. People stay with what they know, but it’s worth getting to know other toppings that are delicious as well. For instance, cacio e’ pepe has become a favorite in many restaurants and it’s fun to say!

 

 

4.  93% of Americans always have at least one box or bag of pasta in the house. Why not? Pasta is still a very economical food to have to buy, so while you’re at it buy a big variety to keep in the house and you will never run out of things to eat.

 

 

5.  21% of us use a fork and spoon to eat spaghetti.  The spoon is for twirling. If you have ever watched The Godfather or The Sopranos, than you know this is a very old school way of eating spaghetti, plus it’s kind of fun.

 

 

6.  When you make spaghetti, do you usually break it in half?  50% of us do, mostly because it’s easier to fit in the pot.  38% don’t . . . 4% said it varies . . . and 8% said they never make spaghetti. Not a fan of breaking it up because you get less twirling action that way. Leave it alone and enjoy the twirl!

 

 

7.  And finally:  Only 3% of us never eat pasta.  75% have it at least once a week. That means 97% of eat pasta! That’s probably one of the biggest numbers for any food. Other than bread, there is probably nothing we eat more of in the course of our lives. Long Live Pasta!!

 

Bob is a native New Englander, growing up (sorta) in Maine where his love for radio started at a young age. While in high school he hosted radio shows on a local radio station, and he has never looked back. Bob joined the US Navy and served onboard the Sixth Fleet Flagship as a radio and TV host. After serving for 3 years, it was off to Emerson College in Boston. Bob hosted shows in Boston on WMEX, WVBF and WSSH in the 80’s and 90’s before heading to radio stations in Raleigh, NC, Manchester, NH, and New York City. Bob has been married for almost 25 years to Carolyn, a Woburn gal and they have 3 daughters, Nicole, Taylor, and Bridget. Bob and Carolyn are proud first-time grandparents to baby Caroline, who they plan to spoil every chance they get! “I started my career in New England and could not be happier to come back to Boston where I can root for all the Boston sports teams and eat lots of lobster rolls and clam chowder (okay not lots)… It is an honor to host the WROR morning show with LBF and wake up the World’s Greatest City!” Bob writes about recipes and restaurants, pop culture and trending topics.

7 Fan-Favorite Boston Restaurants To Celebrate National Pasta Day

It’s National Pasta Day! The day to celebrate the carby goodness in all it’s forms. Whether you cook it up and simply throw some olive oil and herbs on it. Or make an elaborate sauce, pasta is always a good idea.

Pasta pairings

There are dozens of different pasta shapes and sizes. The different types of pasta pair best with certain sauces. Here are some of the classic pasta pairings you can try from The Food Network.

 

Long thin noodles like spaghetti, capellini, spaghettini, and angel hair – These go best with light sauces. Tomato or garlic or olive oil. Will coat the strands evenly and won’t get weighed down.

 

Long flat noodles like fettuccine, linguine, tagliatelle, and pappardelle – These are best paired with rich or creamy sauces. Pappardelle pairs well with rich, meaty sauces, and fettucine or linguine work well with creamy Alfredo or proteins like seafood.
Long tube noodles like perciatelli and bucatini – Resembling spaghetti, these have a tube running down the center. They give sauces a great place to “hide” inside, covering more areas of the pasta. Works well with bright flavors like crushed red pepper flakes or pancetta.
Short tube pasta like penne, rigatoni, ziti, and cavatappi – Work well with sauces from cream with bits of meats or veggies, to more hearty sauces. The ridges also make it easier for sauces like pesto to cling to them.
Small tube pasta like macaroni and ditalini – I’m sure the first thing we think about is macaroni and cheese. These are perfect with creamy cheese sauces. They’re also great in soups and pasta salads.
Short shaped pasta like farfalle, fusilli, orecchiette, rotini – These pastas are great with rich, and hearty sauces that can be caught in the ruffles, ridges, and curls. They can be sauces that include proteins and veggies.

Make your own pasta for National Pasta Day

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own pasta, I promise you, it’s a lot easier than you think. And the result are *chef’s kiss.* Some eggs, flour, a little salt, and you can make fresh, homemade pasta.

I had the chance to learn how, and it was such a great experience. Check out my post of 7 Important Lessons I Learned After Making Pasta From Scratch.

We polled out listeners to find out their favorite places for pasta. In no particular order…here are some of the fan-favs.

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Author Bob Bronson
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