A properly-made lasagna is a dish of consummate beauty and one of the most beloved Italian food dishes in the world. Lasagna has many versions, both within Italy and around the world, but when we talk about “real” lasagna in Italy we mean “Lasagna alla Bolognese” i.e., from Bologna in the region of Emilia-Romagna. One of the traditional pasta shapes of this region is the long, flat strips that go into making the layers of lasagna. Although some Italians will buy these strips dried, it’s still quite common in Emilia-Romagna to make them at home, along with other regional specialties like tortellini.
You may not know this, but technically, Lasagna did not originate in Italy as you may expect. Its origin can be traced waaaayyy back to Ancient Greece. The name Lasagna, or “Lasagne” is derived from the Greek word ‘Laganon’; the first know form of pasta. Laganon was not a traditional lasagna as we know it with traditional Italian ingredients, but it was composed of layers of pasta and sauce. So it basically got its name from the method in which it was made, not for its ingredients. To recap, the name can be traced back to Ancient Greece, the first recipe to Britain and generations of perfecting the dish to Italy! Regardless of who can claim the lasagna fame, we are grateful to whoever is responsible for passing this recipe on through the centuries!