It is a widely accepted theory that at around the 8th century the Arabs introduced a dried noodle to Palermo, Sicily. This, in turn, greatly influenced the regional cuisine of Italy. Many Sicilian pasta recipes still include other Arab gastronomic introductions, such as raisins and spices like cinnamon.By the 1300's dried pasta became very popular for its nutrition and long shelf life, making it ideal for long ship voyages. Pasta made it around the globe during the voyages of discovery a century or so later. By that time different shapes of pasta have appeared and developing technology made pasta easier to make. With these innovations pasta truly became a part of Italian life.
