Pasta Facts for Kids

A Picture of Various Pasta
  • Name: Pasta
  • Type of Food: Prepared Food
  • Produced From: Wheat
  • Total Calories: 221 (one cup, spaghetti, 140 grams)
  • Total Fat: 1.3 grams (one cup, spaghetti, 140 grams)
  • Total Protein: 8 grams (one cup, spaghetti, 140 grams)
  • Total Carbohydrates: 43 grams (one cup, spaghetti, 140 grams)

27 Pasta Facts for Kids

  1. Pasta is an Italian style food that is consumed by people around the world.
  2. Italian cuisine classifies pasta a staple food.
  3. Pasta is usually made with wheat flour, but can be made from rice flour, legumes and other food sources.
  4. Pasta can be made into hundreds of different shapes and sizes.
  5. There are officially over 300 different varieties of pasta shapes and sizes.
  6. Pasta can be one of two types, fresh (pasta fresca) or dried (pasta secca).
  7. Fresh pasta is made with fresh ingredients, do not expand when cooked and have a short shelf life.
  8. Dried pasta is mass produced in factories, expands when its cooked and has a long shelf life.
  9. Pasta is usually enjoyed with a sauce.
  10. Pasta sauce is usually, but not always, made with tomatoes and a wide variety of other ingredients.
  11. According to UN.A.F.P.A, the worldwide production of pasta in 2015 exceeded 15.7 million tons.
  12. According to UN.A.F.P.A, the world’s largest producer of pasta in 2015 was Italy with 3.5 million tons.
  13. According to UN.A.F.P.A, the world’s second largest producer of pasta in 2015 was the USA with 2.2 million tons.
  14. Based on UN.A.F.P.A, data, Italy produced about 22% of the world supply of pasta in 2015.
  15. The composition of cooked pasta, without sauce is 62% water, 31% carbohydrates, 6% protein, and 1% fat.
  16. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 131 calories.
  17. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 1.1 grams of fat.
  18. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 33 milligrams of cholesterol.
  19. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 6 milligrams of sodium.
  20. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 24 milligrams of potassium.
  21. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 25 grams of carbohydrates.
  22. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 5 grams of protein.
  23. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 1% of the recommended Daily Value of cobalamin.
  24. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 6% of the recommended Daily Value of iron.
  25. One serving of fresh cooked pasta (100 grams) contains 4% of the recommended Daily Value of magnesium.
  26. According to the Guinness World Records, the longest strand of pasta was 12,388 feet long. This record was set on October 20th, 2010 by Lawson Inc in Japan.
  27. According to the Guinness World Records, the fastest someone ate a bowl of pasta was 26.69 seconds. This record was set on September 18th, 2017 by Michelle Lesco in the United States.

Additional Resources on Pasta

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