- There are two theories as to where the word "macaroni" comes from. One is that it derives from a Greek word, "makaria" which was a kind of barley broth eaten at funerals. The other is that it comes from the Italian "maccare", meaning to pound or crush, because wheat is crushed in order to make pasta.
- Macaroni is made from durum Wheat, and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. The little tubes with bends in are called elbow macaroni.
- One of the most popular uses for macaroni is to make what the Brits call macaroni Cheese, or mac and cheese in North America. It's a comfort food, baking the pasta together with a cheese sauce (usually cheddar) and adding other ingredients, such as breadcrumbs, meat and vegetables, depending on the locality.
- 100g of dry macaroni contains 371 calories.
- The earliest recipes for this type of dish originated in 14th century Italy. A cheese and pasta casserole known as makerouns was recorded in the medieval English cookbook, the Forme of Cury, at about the same time.
- The Victorians used to eat a sweet macaroni pudding containing Milk and sugar.
- In Hong Kong, they eat macaroni for breakfast. They cook it up with Mushrooms, Peas, ham, Eggs, and chicken stock.
- It was Thomas Jefferson introduced macaroni to the United States, after eating it during a trip to Italy in 1789. He liked it so much that he bought a macaroni shaping machine to bring home. He even served a macaroni pie at a state dinner in 1802, although one of his guests, Reverend Manasseh Cutler, reportedly didn't like it much.
- In the 1700s, macaroni was another word for a dandy, or a man who wore flamboyant clothes. The lyrics of the song Yankee Doodle Dandy mention the word in that context.
- This is also how the macaroni Penguin gets its name. These birds have a yellow crest on their heads, and 19th century English sailors thought they looked like dandies.
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