who invented pasta

Pasta does not have a single inventor; its origins are ancient and complex, involving multiple cultures over thousands of years. The earliest evidence of pasta-like foods dates back to ancient China during the Shang Dynasty (1700-1100 BC), where noodles made from wheat or rice flour were made. Pasta also has roots in ancient Mediterranean cultures, with evidence of pasta-like foods in Etruscan Italy as early as the 4th century BC. Arab traders introduced dried pasta to Sicily around the 8th and 9th centuries, which played a significant role in the development of the pasta known today. The popular myth that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy from China in the 13th century is inaccurate; pasta existed in Italy long before his travels. Italians developed their own unique pasta culture over time, particularly flourishing during the Renaissance and beyond.