Facts About Spaghetti

In 18th century England, macaroni was a synonym for perfection and excellence. That's why, for example, the feather in Yankee Doodle's cap was called "macaroni." In fact, the word "macaroni" means "dearest darlings" in Italian.
The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.
In the 13th century, the Pope set quality standards for pasta.
Tripolini or "little bows" were named to honor the Italian conquest of Tripoli in Libya.
There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.
Top-quality pasta is made from durum wheat. According to the North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service, about 73 percent of the durum wheat grown in the U.S. is actually grown in North Dakota. American-grown durum wheat is considered among the best in the world and the pick of the crop is earmarked for domestic use ensuring a finished pasta product second to none in the world.
According to Miss Manners (a.k.a. Judith Martin), a fork is the only utensil that may be used to eat spaghetti while anyone is looking.