Al Dente - Wikipedia

Cooking method

In cooking, pasta or risotto al dente (/ælˈdɛnteɪ/, Italian: [alˈdɛnte]; lit. 'to the tooth'[1]) is cooked to be firm to the bite, requiring a brief cooking time.[2][3][4] The term also extends to firmly-cooked vegetables.[5] In contemporary Italian cooking, it is considered to be the ideal consistency for pasta.[6][7]

Molto al dente is the Italian term for slightly undercooked pasta.[2][8] When cooking commercial pasta, the al dente phase occurs right before the white of the pasta center disappears.[4] The American Diabetes Association says that al dente pasta has a lower glycemic index than pasta that is cooked soft.[9]

For centuries in Italy, the ideal pasta was very soft, and chefs such as the 15th century chef Martino da Como recommended cooking pasta for hours to achieve the desired texture. The resulting pasta's softness influenced how it was served. At the time, the leading physicians of Italy followed Hippocrates and Galen, who maintained contraria contrariis curantur ('opposites cure opposites'). As a result, they recommended pasta be served with dried spices and pepper, as well as cheese,[10] particularly the dry, aged varieties.[11] As pasta was slippery when eaten with the hand, historian Massimo Montanari credits this with promoting the use of forks.[12]

Records of pasta being cooked for a shorter time start in 17th century Naples.[13][14] At first, this was restricted to fresh pasta. It was not until the mid-19th century that a short cooktime and firm texture became the norm for all pastas.[13] Despite this development, the term al dente was not yet used. Historians Silvano Serventi and Françoise Sabban [fr] write that before World War I, the term was unknown.[15] In the years since, the idea of cooking pasta al dente became part of Italian national identity.[15] Internationally, the phrase spread through restaurants in the second half of the 20th century.[16]

See also

[edit]

• Culinary arts
• Food science
• Molecular gastronomy
• Q texture

References

[edit]

1. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
2. ^ a b Hazan, Marcella (20 July 2011). Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan - Google Books. ISBN 9780307958303. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
3. ^ "Al dente: definition of al dente in Oxford dictionary (American English) (US)". Oxforddictionaries.com. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
4. ^ a b Sinclair, Charles (January 2009). Dictionary of Food: International Food and Cooking Terms from A to Z - Charles Sinclair - Google Books. ISBN 9781408102183. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
5. ^ Cooking glossary: Al dente Archived 18 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Waitrose. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
6. ^ Moliterno, Gino (11 September 2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Italian Culture - Google Books. ISBN 9781134758777. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
7. ^ Capatti, Alberto; Montanari, Massimo (13 August 2013). Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History - Alberto Capatti, Massimo Montanari - Google Books. ISBN 9780231509046. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
8. ^ "Penne a la vodka Recipe Text | Rouxbe Cooking School". Rouxbe.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
9. ^ "Glycemic Index and Diabetes: American Diabetes Association®". Diabetes.org. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
10. ^ Montanari 2021, pp. 50–51.
11. ^ Montanari 2021, pp. 54–56.
12. ^ Montanari 2021, pp. 57–59.
13. ^ a b Montanari 2021, pp. 66–67.
14. ^ Serventi & Sabban 2002, p. xv.
15. ^ a b Serventi & Sabban 2002, p. 228.
16. ^ Serventi & Sabban 2002, p. 257.

Sources

[edit]

• Montanari, Massimo (2021) [2019 (in Italian)]. A Short History of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce. Translated by Conti, Gregory. London: Europa Editions. ISBN 978-1-78770-328-5.
• Serventi, Silvano; Sabban, Françoise [in French] (2002) [2000 (in Italian)]. Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food. Translated by Shugaar, Antony. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-12442-3.

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