Lasagna (UK:/ləˈzænjə/,^[1]US:/ləˈzɑːnjə/;Italian:[laˈzaɲɲa]), also known by the Italian plurallasagne (Italian:[laˈzaɲɲe]), is a type ofpasta, possibly one of the oldesttypes,^[2] made in very wide, flat sheets. InItalian cuisine it is made of stacked layers of pasta alternating with fillings such asragù (ground meats and tomato sauce),béchamel sauce, vegetables, cheeses (which may includericotta,mozzarella, andParmesan), and seasonings and spices.^[3] The dish may be topped with grated cheese, which melts during baking. Typically cooked pasta is assembled with the other ingredients and then baked in an oven (al forno). The resulting baked pasta is cut into single-serving square or rectangular portions.

Lasagna

Lasagne alla bolognese
Alternative names	Lasagne
Type	Pasta
Course	Primo (Italian course) ormain
Place of origin	Italy
Region or state	Emilia-Romagna
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Wheat,ground meat,cheese
Variations	Lasagnette andlasagnotte
Cookbook: Lasagna  Media: Lasagna

Inancient Rome, there was a dish similar to a traditional lasagna calledlasana orlasanum (Latin for 'container' or 'pot') described in the bookDe re coquinaria byMarcus Gavius Apicius,^[4] but the word could have a more ancient origin. The first theory is thatlasagna comes fromGreek λάγανον (laganon), a flat sheet of pasta dough cut into strips.^[5][6][7][8] The word λαγάνα (lagana) is still used in Greek to mean a flat thin type ofunleavened bread baked for theClean Monday holiday.^[9]

Another theory is that the word lasagna comes from the Greek λάσανα (lasana) or λάσανον (lasanon) meaning 'trivet', 'stand for a pot' or 'chamber pot'.^[10][11][12] TheRomans borrowed the word aslasanum, meaning 'cooking pot'.^[13] The Italians used the word to refer to the cookware in which lasagna is made. Later the food took on the name of the serving dish.^{[citation needed]}

Another proposed link or reference is the 14th-century English dishloseyn^[14] as described inThe Forme of Cury, a cookbook prepared by "the chief Master Cooks ofKing Richard II",^[15] which included English recipes as well as dishes influenced by Spanish, French, Italian, and Arab cuisines.^[16] This dish has similarities to modern lasagna in both its recipe, which features a layering of ingredients between pasta sheets, and its name. An important difference is the lack oftomatoes, which did not arrive in Europe until afterColumbus reached the Americas in 1492. The earliest discussion of the tomato in European literature appeared in aherbal written in 1544 byPietro Andrea Mattioli,^[17] while the earliest cookbook found with tomato recipes was published inNaples in 1692, but the author had obtained these recipes from Spanish sources.^[17]

As with most othertypes of pasta, the Italian word is a plural form:lasagne meaning more than one sheet oflasagna, although, in many other languages, a derivative of the singular wordlasagna is used for the popular baked pasta dish. When referring to the baked dish, regional usage in Italy favours the plural formlasagne in the north of the country and the singularlasagna in the south.^[18] The former plural usage has influenced the usual spelling found inBritish English, while the southern Italian singular usage has influenced the spelling often used inAmerican English.^[18] Bothlasagna andlasagne are used as singularnon-count (uncountable) nouns in English.^[19]

Lasagna originated in Italy during theMiddle Ages. The oldest transcribed text about lasagna appears in 1282 in theMemoriali Bolognesi ('Bolognese Memorials'), in which lasagna was mentioned in a poem transcribed by a Bolognesenotary;^[20][21] while the first recorded recipe was set down in the early 14th century in theLiber de Coquina (The Book of Cookery).^[22] It bore only a slight resemblance to the later traditional form of lasagna, featuring afermenteddough flattened into thin sheets, boiled, sprinkled with cheese and spices, and then eaten with a small pointed stick.^[23] Recipes written in the century following theLiber de Coquina recommended boiling the pasta in chicken broth and dressing it with cheese andchicken fat. In a recipe adapted for theLentenfast,walnuts were recommended.^[23]

Mass-produced lasagne with a ruffled edge is calledlasagna riccia,doppio festone,sciabò, andsciablò.^[24] In theVeneto, factory-producedlasagne are calledbardele orlasagnoni.^[24] Narrowerlasagne aremezze lasagne, and if with a ruffled edge,mezze lasagne ricche.^[24] Similar pastas are the narrowerlasagnette and its longer cousin, thelasagnotte (cappellasci [sic] inLiguria^[24][25]), as well as thesagne ofSalento (the "heel" of the Italian "boot"),^[24] andlagana in the remainder ofApulia.^[24]

The lasagna ofNaples,lasagne di Carnevale, is layered with localsausage, small friedmeatballs,hard-boiled eggs,ricotta andmozzarella cheeses, and sauced withNeapolitan ragù, a meat sauce.^[26]

Lasagne al forno, layered with a thickerragù andbéchamel sauce and corresponding to the most common version of the dish outside Italy, is traditionally associated with theEmilia-Romagna region of Italy. Here, and especially in its capital,Bologna, layers of lasagna are traditionally green (the colour is obtained by mixing spinach or other vegetables into the dough)^[27] and served with ragù (a thick sauce made with onions, carrots, celery, finely ground pork and beef, butter, and tomatoes),^[28][29] béchamel sauce, andParmesan cheese.^[30][31]

In other regions, lasagna can be made with various combinations of ricotta or mozzarella,tomato sauce, meats (such as ground beef, pork, veal or chicken), and vegetables (such as spinach, zucchini, olives, and mushrooms), and the dish is typically flavoured withwine,garlic,onion, andoregano. In all cases, the lasagne are baked (al forno).^{[citation needed]}

Traditionally, pasta dough prepared insouthern Italy usedsemolina and water; in thenorthern regions, where semolina was not available,flour andeggs were used. In modern Italy, since the only type of wheat allowed for commercially sold pasta isdurum wheat, industrial lasagne are made from durum wheat semolina.^[32]

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  Flat sheets of lasagna before cooking
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  Lasagna with ruffled edges
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  Completely ridged lasagna
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  Green lasagna (made with spinach in the dough), withragù,Parmesan, andbéchamel sauce, typical of Bolognese cuisine

  Media related toLasagne (layered dish) at Wikimedia Commons Lasagne at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject

• List of pasta
• List of pasta dishes
• List of casserole dishes
• Casserole
• Crozets de Savoie – a type of small, square-shaped pasta made in the Savoie region in France
• Lasagna cell – inadvertent corrosion caused by improper storage of lasagna
• Lasagnette – a narrower form of the pasta
• Lasagnotte
• Lazanki – a type of small square- or rectangle-shaped pasta made in Poland and Belarus
• Moussaka – a Mediterranean casserole that is layered in some recipes
• Oreilles d'âne – a French Alpine casserole made with lasagna and wild spinach
• Pastelón – a baked, layered Puerto Rican dish made with plantains
• Pastitsio – a baked, layered Mediterranean pasta dish
• Timballo – an Italian casserole

• Sagon, Candy (16 February 2000)."The Americanization Of Lasagna".The Washington Post. p. F01. Retrieved24 November 2021.