Pasta (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpasta]) is a type of noodle, or any of the dishes made with it, in Italian cuisine. It is typically made from an unleavened dough of a durum wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Some pastas are made using rice flour or legumes like black beans or lentils in place of wheat flour to yield a different taste and texture, or for those who need to avoid products containing gluten. Pasta is a staple[3] of Italian cuisine, and was first mentioned in 1154 in Sicily.[4] Pastas are divided into two broad categories: dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca). Most dried pasta is produced commercially via an extrusion process, although it can be produced at home. Fresh pasta is traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines.[5] Fresh pastas available in grocery stores are produced commercially by large-scale machines. From Wikipedia