Tag: Italian

Lasagna

Lasagna

Lasagna, also lasagne, is both a form of pasta in sheets (often rippled in North America and other countries, though seldom so in Italy) and also a dish, sometimes named Lasagne al forno (meaning “Lasagne in the oven”) made with alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and sometimes ragu (a meat sauce). While it is traditionally believed to have originated in Italy, evidence has come to light suggesting that a very similar meal known as “loseyns” (pronounced ‘lasan’) was eaten in the court of King Richard II of England in the 14th Century. The word “lasagna” is derived from the Greek word “lasanon” meaning chamber pot. The word was later borrowed by the Romans as “lasanum” to mean cooking pot. The Italians then used the word to refer to the dish in which what is now known as lasagna is made. The word lasagna or lasagne (plural) now simply applies to the food itself. The British (and Italians) generally use the plural “lasagne” to mean both the dish and the pasta while the Americans commonly use the singular “lasagna”