What do you know about Italians breaking or not breaking pasta before cooking?
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What do you know about Italians breaking or not breaking pasta before cooking?
Spaghetti descends from the noodles of China. Noodles are a symbol of long life in Chinese cuisine. At least one noodle dish will be served at birthdays. The noodles are also typically long. Cutting the noodle is like wishing that the celebrant have a shorter life. I would suspect the Italians imported that symbolism along with the noodles.
I don’t know why you shouldn’t break the spaghetti. All I know is that you shouldn’t. It’s an Italian thing. Don’t break the pasta. Some Italians believe it’s bad luck. Most agree it’s bad manners and any Italian cook will tell you it’s bad technique. The Chinese believe long noodles represent long life. You wanna risk half your life? I know why a lot of people break pasta. The sad thing is they don’t have to. It’s a rookie cooking move. People who break pasta do so for two reasons: one, they think it fits better in the pot and two, they think it’s easier to eat after it’s cooked.