 | |
| Type | Pasta soup |
|---|---|
| Course | Primo (Italian course) |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Main ingredients | Small pasta and beans |
Pasta e fagioli (Italian: [ˈpasta e ffaˈdʒɔːli]; lit. 'pasta and beans') is an Italian pasta soup of which there are several regional variants.[1]
Once a dish eaten by the poor, pasta e fagioli is now eaten across social classes, and considered nostalgic and healthy.[2]
Preparation
[edit]Recipes for pasta e fagioli vary, the only true requirement being that beans and pasta are included.[3] While the dish varies from region to region, it is most commonly made using cannellini beans, navy beans, or borlotti beans and a small variety of pasta, such as elbow macaroni or ditalini.[4]
Variations
[edit]
Preparations vary across town by town, changing a component—olive oil or pork fat, browned or unbrowned garlic, dry or soupy—produces a new, local version of pasta e fagioli. What variations are used are determined by the local availability of elements, and the preferences of the cook. In Campania, the fat used has moved away from animal fats to olive oil over health concerns.[2]
Pasta e ceci, a version replacing the beans with chickpeas, is common in Rome.[5] According to Vincenzo Buonassisi, pasta e fagioli sgranati (sgranati means 'shelled') is a Neapolitan variant using fresh beans (which must be shelled before use).[6]
In popular culture
[edit]"Pastafazoola", a 1927 novelty song by Van and Schenck, plays off of the Neapolitan pronunciation in the rhyme "Don't be a fool, eat pasta fazool."
The song "That's Amore", by Warren and Brooks (popularised by Dean Martin), includes the rhyme "When the stars make you drool, just like pasta fazool, that's amore." Pasta e fagioli was also among Dean Martin's and Frank Sinatra's favorite foods.[7]
See also
[edit]
Media related to Pasta e fagioli at Wikimedia Commons
References
[edit]- ^ "Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)". La Cucina Italiana. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ a b Schwartz, Arthur (1998). Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 94-95. ISBN 0-06-018261-X.
- ^ "Pasta e fagioli: comfort food a' la Italian". Archived from the original on 2016-07-02.
- ^ Scott, Liz (2008-12-02). The Complete Idiot's Guide to High-Fiber Cooking. Penguin. p. 195. ISBN 9781440697487.
- ^ "Pasta e Ceci (Italian Pasta and Chickpea Stew) Recipe". Cooking. The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- ^ Buonassisi, Vincenzo (2020). The Pasta Codex. New York: Rizzoli International Publications. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-8478-6874-2.
- ^ The Rat Pack’s Favorite Foods (and Drinks!) Amanda Tarlton, Taste of Home (February 25, 2022).
