Pasta, that well-known staple of Italian cuisine, is a favourite the world over. It’s the common ingredient in any number of delicious dishes, and it comes in a wide variety of shapes – long, short, flat, wide and decorative. It can be a side dish or a main dish; it may be stuffed, baked or boiled, added to any number of soups, or it may be layered and lavished in sauce. In other words, it’s very versatile!
The earliest reference to pasta is found in the first century writings of the Roman poet Horace, who mentioned “lagana,” or fine sheets of fried dough, according to the authors of “Pasta: the Story of a Universal Food.” In the early fifth century, a cookbook included a dish of “lagana” as layers of dough with meat stuffing – which many consider to be the precursor of what we now call lasagna. In the 13th century, there is the legend of Marco Polo importing pasta from China, though that is really thought to be no more than legend since pasta is known to have been introduced in southern Italy earlier by the Arabic people. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the popularity of pasta increased because it was easy to store. A century later, according to Justin Demetri in “History of pasta,” pasta was found around the globe during the voyages of discovery. While pasta was originally a favourite found only in Italian and European cuisine, its popularity soon spread to North America after immigrants arrived from Italy, and later brought it to South Africa.
From there, as they say, the rest is history. And to top it all off, with the invention of tomato sauce in the late 18th century, pasta really took off! Today we enjoy pasta in all of its many forms and flavours, and pasta dishes are now part of Caribbean fine dining. If you’re wondering where to eat pasta in the Cayman Islands, look no further. Our waterfront restaurant in Grand Cayman offers pasta dishes to suit every palate. For instance, our lunch menu features vegetarian pasta, made with fusilli, roasted pumpkin, eggplant, mushroom, garlic, pine nuts, fresh basil, chili flakes, extra virgin olive oil and shaved manchego cheese. We also offer a lovely lobster risotto with saffron, spinach and tomato.
Enjoy a delightful dinner with pasta dishes that include not only the fabulous vegetarian dish described above (or, without the cheese for those following a vegan diet), but also mushroom ravioli with cognac, mushroom, garlic, sage, truffle oil and asiago cheese. These pasta dishes are further enhanced by pairing them with a selection of fine wines from our extensive collection.
If you are looking for a specialty pasta dish, and for the best dining in the Cayman Islands, make a reservation for you and your friends or family at Grand Old House by clicking here. Just fill out the simple form and get ready to sit back, relax and enjoy a fine meal in elegant surroundings with a spectacular waterfront view.
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