Noodle month

March is national "noodle month", which is a good reason to learn some fun facts about one of our favourites food types;

- The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.

- Approximately 2.75 million tons of pasta is made in Italy each year.

- Most pasta is made using wheat products mixed with water.  Other types of pasta are made using ingredients such as rice, barley, corn, and beans.

- The average person in North America eats about 15-1/2 pounds of pasta per year.

- The Spanish explorer Cortez brought tomatoes back to Europe from Mexico in 1519. Even then, almost 200 years passed before spaghetti with tomato sauce made its way into Italian kitchens.

 - There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.