In fact, Italians were probably already quite familiar with pasta. The misconception seems to come from a passage in his famous book, "The Travels of Marco Polo," in which he describes a pasta tree.

Most people know the story of Venetian explorer Marco Polo bringing noodles back home from China. It’s a fun story, but it’s also inaccurate: Pasta was already popular in Italy by the time Marco Polo ...

When people around the world think of Italian food, their minds often go right to pasta, usually along with pizza. Outside of ...

What's more, pasta seems not to be a doppelgänger of Asian noodles, but rather a direct descendant. The question is, how did this evolution occur? Many have heard the story that Marco Polo ...

Pasta has a long and rich history. It's not actually believed to be an Italian invention; rather, the explorer Marco Polo brought this dish from China upon his return to Italy in 1271. But one ...

Pasta’s ethnic roots have been long debated. Many theories have been put forward, some notably far-fetched. An enduring myth, based on the writings of the 13th-century explorer Marco Polo ...