Pasta, the staple food of Italian cuisine  and various household tables around the world. The history of pasta is thought to be 1154, in Sicily, and also refers to a huge variety of pasta dishes common to every table. From the simplest spaghetti Bolognese, to Lasagne, Carbonara and even Mac 'n' cheese, pasta is a carbohydrate that graces many tables at dinner. It's also something well known for the way it can make a mess. Long spaghetti strands can fall off the plate, or when sucked up can send tomato sauce flying. For every piece that slips off your fork, and onto your lap, there's a chance for a stain to occur. Below, we'll look at the world's most famous pastas, their ingredients, and what to do in case a speck of sauce happens to land on your lap.



There are several thousand different kinds of pasta shapes, usually originating from a different region of Italy. Typical shapes include penne, rotini and spaghetti, but less well known shapes include gigli, lumaconi and garganelli. Pastas can be shaped by hand, but also special utensils are used to create more intricate lines you see on pastas like conchiglie. To make pasta all you really need are eggs, flower and a little work, made easy with a pasta maker. Take a look online for the best how-to steps, and make some at home for fun, it's much easier than you'd think! Of course, pasta is easy to buy, and in many cases dried pasta is the more common variety. There's no special difference to the shapes, but some can carry sauces better than others, such as penne (which is derived from the nib on a pen, wouldn't you know!).


Our Cooking Tip


Although our taste for pasta has been brought in from the Mediterranean, our cooking methods for the most part have not. One method to finish off a pasta dish differently, allow the sauce to keep cooking while you drain the pasta. Then, once drained, add your pasta to the sauce. Cooking it for an extra minute within the sauce will add more flavour, and will also give you the chance to mix the two well. No more dry pasta at the bottom of your bowl, and also much moregusto!


Tomato Sauce Stain Removal


While sauces and pasta might mix, the same shouldn't be said about clothes. Tomato sauce is a notorious problem when it comes to clothes stains, but can also suffer from olive oil stains, depending on the variety. However, pasta stains can come off with the instructions below.


To start, turn your clothing inside out and flush the area with cool water from the tap. This will prevent it setting, and also wash much of the excess away.


But, when you're able to use a washing machine, Vanish Gold Oxi Action powder will clean your stain. Here are the steps to taking on tomato sauce:


Mix 1/3 a lid of powder with a full lid of warm water, and stir.

Apply the solution to the surface of the stain.

Leave for five minutes after mixing, work on the stain gently by rubbing the solutions.

Then, wash off the solution and place in the washing machine with another dose of Vanish, and your regular detergent.