 | |
| Course | Main |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Greece |
| Region or state | Ionian Islands |
| Main ingredients | Ground beef,béchamel sauce |
Pastitsio (Greek:παστίτσιο,pastítsio) is a bakedpasta dish withground meat andbéchamel sauce, which came from theIonian Islands toGreece. Variations of the dish are found in other countries near theMediterranean Sea.
Pastitsio takes its name from theVenetianpasticcio, a large family of bakedsavory pies that may be based on meat, fish, or pasta, with many documented recipes from the early 16th century,[1] and continuing to modern times. Italian versions include apastry crust; some include béchamel.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
The wordpasticcio is attested by the 16th century as "any manner of pastie or pye"[9] and comes from thevulgar Latin wordpastīcium[10] derived frompasta, and means "pie", and has developed the figurative meanings of "a mess", "a tough situation", or apastiche.[11]
The name of an Italian version,lasagna, made with flatnoodles, comes from Latinlasanum, "cooking pot".
An Egyptian version of it is calledmacarona bil-bechamel (Arabic:المكرونة بالبشاميل[mɑkɑˈɾoːnɑbæʃæˈmel,-be-]). In the Albanian-speaking regions of theBalkans, the dish is calledpastiçe, deriving frompasticcio. It is, however, often meatless and made with anegg andcheese mixture instead of béchamel. Pastitsio is also found on the island ofCyprus, where Greek Cypriots refer to it asmakaronia tou fournou (Greek:μακαρόνια του φούρνου), whilst Turkish Cypriots refer to it asfırında makarna. Both names translate to "macaroni in the oven".[citation needed]
Nikolaos Tselementes, a French-trained Greek chef of the early 20th century, popularized the variantaugratin[12] withbéchamel. Other versions with a filling of pasta, liver, meat, eggs, and cheese (similar to most Italian pasticcio recipes), which were wrapped in pastry are forgotten.
Tselementes' published version is now ubiquitous[12]—has a bottom layer that isbucatini or other tubular pasta, with cheese or egg as a binder and a middle layer of groundbeef (or a mix ofground beef andground pork) withtomato sauce,cinnamon andcloves. The top layer is a béchamel or aMornay sauce, with other spices likenutmeg orallspice added. Grated goat cheese is often sprinkled on top. Pastitsio is a common dish, and is often served as a main course, with a salad.[citation needed]
The Egyptian version is calledمكرونة بالبشاميلmacarona bil-bechamel inEgyptian Arabic,i.e. "macaroni with béchamel". The dish is typically made withpenne ormacaroni pasta, a minced-meat sauce with tomato and onion, and a white sauce often enriched withRumi cheese. Egg or cheese (cheddar and mozzarella)[dubious –discuss] may also be baked on top. The dish was introduced to Egypt by Greek and Italian immigrants in the 19th century.[13]
InMalta,timpana (the name probably derived fromtimballo) is made by tossingparboiled macaroni in a tomato sauce containing a small amount of minced beef orcorned beef, bound with a mixture of raw egg and grated cheese. Hard-boiled eggs are sometimes added. The macaroni is then enclosed in a pastry case or lid before being baked.[14][15] A similar dish without the pastry casing isimqarrun.[citation needed]
