Potatos with Trofie?

Hello!

Writing an article about the origins of potatos with pasta, particuarly the roman dish trofie al pesto.

Any ideas on the origins? Any stories?

I realize the potatos were added to "stretch" the pasta. .

Would love to hear more.

Lila,

I wrote a piece on pesto alla genovese with illustrations here:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=41428#p41428

In the picture, I did not use trofie but certainly do on occasion; my son and I make them by hand sometimes.

The dish is most decidedly not Roman but typically, quintessentially even, Ligurian, and closely associated with the cuisine of Genova, though it is now enjoyed throughout Italy to a degree as part of the national or supraregional cuisine.

One might think of the potatoes as a stretching element -- in a sense they are -- but as I note in the piece linked to above, they also add a wonderful textural complexity to the dish...

I think maybe I'll post something involving potatoes I wrote and posted elsewhere some years back...

I've discussed the Italian use of potatoes in traditional cooking in at least two of the Oxford Symposium articles that I've published, the one in the 2005 Proceedings, the other in the 2007 Proceedings... More will appear in a forthcoming book...

Antonius

Excellent, Antonius. Thanks for getting back to me. Strange that when I was in Rome in January, my Roman flatmate made trofie/pasta twice (wth green beans and potatos) and called it "Roman" - is that not right?

Any way I can view those symposium pieces you mentioned?

Darla

Like il Maestro said, Ligurian all the way. I'd be surprised if even 30 years ago trofie was on menus in Rome. I think there are similar, no egg, no oil pastas in other parts of the country, but not called trofie. It's so closely associated with a particular region, I think of it like osso buco or bollito misto.

Greetings, JeffB...

Indeed, 30 years ago I'm sure that trofie al pesto was rarely consumed in Rome outside of the context of some Ligurian-run restaurant in the city and the households of Ligurians who had moved to the capital city...

***

Darla,

The 2005 Symposium Proceedings are available through finer bookstores on- and off- line everywhere in the civilised and not so civilised world. The exact reference can be found here:
viewtopic.php?p=208791#p208791

The proceedings from last year's Symposium should be just on the verge of publication... I'll see if I can get the details and will add them here...

Antonius

Excellent, Antonius. Thank you SO much!!