This article is about the pasta dish. For the song by "Weird" Al Yankovic, see Lasagna (song). Lasagna (singular, pronounced [laˈzaɲa] in Italian; plural lasagne pronounced [laˈzaɲe]) is both a form of pasta in sheets (sometimes rippled, though seldom so in Italy) and also a dish, sometimes named lasagne al forno (meaning "oven-cooked lasagne") made with alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and often ragù (a meat sauce) or tomato sauce.
The word lasagna, which originally applied to a cooking pot, now simply describes the food itself.[1] Most English-speaking people follow the Italian usage and use the plural "lasagne" to refer to both the dish and the pasta, but Americans commonly use the singular "lasagna".
Variants
"Lasagne verdi" (green lasagne); made with spinach and cheese.
Various recipes call for several kinds of cheese, most often ricotta and mozzarella. The classic Lasagne alla Bolognese uses only Parmigiano Reggiano. While most recipes use a tomato based sauce, many recipes also add béchamel sauce (besciamella).
There are hundreds if not thousands of variants of lasagna from artichoke spinach lasagna to spicy chipotle lasagna. The dish itself lends itself favorably to many creative changes of ingredients by a chef. A variant is Lasagne verde (green lasagne) which is the normal egg pasta with spinach added. Other variations include vegetarian or seafood versions of the dish.
Łazanki is a similar dish made in eastern Europe.
Origin
Although the dish is generally believed to have originated in Italy[2], the word "lasagna" is derived from the Greek word λάσανα (lasana) or λάσανον (lasanon) meaning "trivet or stand for a pot", "chamber pot"[3][4][5]. The Romans later borrowed the word as "lasanum", in Latin, to mean cooking pot. The Italians then used the word to refer to the dish in which lasagna is made. It wasn't long before the name of the food took on the name of the serving dish.
Another theory suggests that lasagna might have come from Greek λάγανον (laganon), a kind of flat sheet of pasta dough cut into stripes.[6][7][8][9]
The recipe was featured in the first cookbook ever written in England, leading to an urban legend that the dish originated in the British Isles.[2] The claim is dubious, due to the much earlier Roman use of "lasanum", and the Italian embassy in London particularly speaks out against such theories.[2]
References
- ^ ""Lasagna: Food Facts & Trivia"". Foodreference.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
- ^ a b c Emory, David (July 15, 2003). ""Stop the Presses, Lasagna is British!"". About.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
- ^ Lasana, Liddell and Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus
- ^ Muhlke, Christine (1997-04-02). "A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names". Cookbook Shelf: Book Review. Salon.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
- ^ "lasagna". Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
- ^ Laganon, Liddell and Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus
- ^ "Food in the Ancient World from A to Z", Andrew Dalby, Routledge, 2003
- ^ "Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture", Eugene Newton Anderson, NYU Press, 2005
- ^ The Real Italian Pasta
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