Why is it believed that Marco Polo brought back pa
Why is it believed that Marco Polo brought back pasta from his journey to China?
Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant and explorer, is best known for his travels with his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo along the Silk Road. Their journey took them deep into the heart of Asia, where they encountered various cultures and civilizations that were unknown in Europe at the time. One of the most enduring legends surrounding Marco Polo's travels is that he brought back pasta from China to Italy.
This legend has persisted for centuries, despite being largely debunked by modern historians. However, it remains an interesting footnote in the history of Chinese-European relations during the Middle Ages.
The story goes that Marco Polo discovered a type of noodle called "lagana" during his time in China. This was allegedly made from wheat flour and water, similar to modern-day lasagna noodles. According to some accounts, Marco Polo even learned how to make this dish himself while living in Kublai Khan's court.
However, there are several reasons why this story may be apocryphal. Firstly, there is no contemporary evidence supporting this claim within any of Marco Polo's own writings or those of other contemporaries who accompanied him on his journeys.
Secondly, while it is true that lagana does exist as a type of flatbread or sheet-like dough used in traditional Chinese cuisine today (especially around southern regions such as Guangdong), its origins predate Marco Polo's visit by thousands of years according to archaeological findings.
Lastly but not leastly significant information available suggests that Italian food culture had already been influenced by contact with Greek traders before Polos' voyage; thus making it possible for pasta dishes like lagana have existed independently without any direct influence from Asia until much later after Polos' death when written records about their trip became public knowledge worldwide wide across all continents including Europe & Asia respectively also taking into consideration what I mentioned above earlier which shows historical evidence proving Greeks introduced pasta long before Polos went Eastward so maybe we should revise our assumptions on whether Pasta came via Polos' return? Or could these stories just be mere myths born out curiosity about Far Eastern traditions given then prevailing cultural exchanges between European explorers visiting foreign lands seeking new ideas etc., amongst many other factors contributing towards popularizing belief over fact!
In conclusion although intriguing tales surround whether or not Marco Pole indeed brought back spaghetti-spaghetti looking pastas upon returning home after spending nearly 17 years under Khubilai Khan rule yet again drawing parallels between two worlds i.e., ancient Rome vs present day Italy - based upon current scholarship supported by solid facts rather than anecdotal hearsay alone does suggest otherwise since historical record supports existence prior presence elsewhere even earlier times!
