The Great Lasagna Debate: Where Did This Iconic Dish Originate?
If you were going to assemble a list of the most authentic, fully Italian Italian dishes, we’re willing to bet a fancy bottle of olive oil that lasagna would make the cut. A bubbling, saucy tray of lasagna is top-tier comfort food and a signifier of Italian-American cuisine, right alongside chicken parm and penne alla vodka.
But, like with many foods, the origins of lasagna are more layered (😉) than you might expect. While most historians agree that lasagna, as we think of it today, can be traced back to Italy in the Middle Ages, other cultures and countries claim that proto-versions of it may go even further back.
We’ll always jump at the chance to nerd out about food history, so we did a bit of research to dig deeper into lasagna’s opaque and globe-spanning origins. Here are four places other than Italy that may be the birthplaces of this family-favorite dish:
Ancient Greece
Let’s start by throwing it all the way back to ancient times. Ancient Grecians’ diets were mostly based on grains, legumes, fish and seafood, olives, and grapes. Side note: A typical breakfast was barley bread soaked in wine—sounds like a nice way to start the day, right? While pasta wasn’t yet part of the cuisine in Greece or in Ancient Rome, there was a dish called "laganum" that some believe is the original predecessor of modern-day lasagna.
Though the details are a bit fuzzy due to incomplete records from the time, it’s agreed that laganum involved layers of rolled out pastry, unleavened bread, or a pancake-type carb. There isn’t much info about what other ingredients may have been included, but it is thought that after the Ancient Romans conquered Ancient Greece in 146 BC, they brought many foods back with them, including laganum, which eventually evolved to include rolled out sheets of pasta dough, as well as meats and cheeses.
China
Though this theory has been mostly debunked, it’s still a fun thought experiment! China is widely considered the first country to make noodles; the concept of noodles can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). Then, they were likely made from millet-based flour, which was turned into dough, then stretched and shaped by hand. There was a legend that Marco Polo discovered noodles during his travels in the 13th century, and “brought” pasta back to Italy, and also that he recounted eating a dish made with breadfruit noodles in China that he called lasagne.
Historians now know that pasta and noodles first entered Italy centuries earlier via nomadic Arab Silk Road traders. There are records from the 12th and early 13th century in Italy that recount different kinds of pasta, all of which pre-date Polo’s travels.
Ethiopia
Though this isn’t related to the origins of lasagna, it’s noteworthy that there’s a long tradition of lasagna served at celebratory meals and events in Ethiopia and Ethiopian-American homes. This can be traced back to Italy’s colonization and occupation of Ethiopia and Eritrea in the 1890s (for more history and insight, check out this Taste article). Though there are infinite variations from family to family, generally, Ethiopian lasagna is made with onions, garlic and green onions, ground beef instead of pork sausage, warm berber seasonings, and mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
No matter where it *truly* began, lasagna has evolved to become an essential part of Italian cuisine, with tons of regional variations on lasagna across Italy. In Naples, lasagne di carnevale is stuffed with locally-made sausage, tiny meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, ricotta, and mozzarella cheeses, and smothered in meat sauce. In the Emilia-Romagna region, egg-enriched pasta dough is mixed with spinach to make green noodles, then cooked with a bechamel, extra-thick ragù, and Parmesan-Reggiano cheese. In the Marche, there’s Lasagne all’Ascolana, with a ground beef sauce, wine-braised chicken giblets, and sliced white truffles layered between fresh egg pasta.
Of course, there are also plenty of riffs on lasagna in the US, too—for some classic and not-so-traditional lasagna recipes, check out the ZENB recipe page! Our lasagna recipes call for no-boil ZENB Lasagna, which are gluten-free and packed with protein and fiber, thanks to the magic of yellow peas. It’s how we’re putting our stamp on this globally adored food!
For more unique, creative recipes, explore the entire ZENB recipe collection, with over 150 delicious, plant-fueled meals to keep you going strong. And follow ZENB on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to get daily doses of inspiration on how to lead a balanced life.
