Lasagna
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Silly rabbit
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poorly spelled, and in the wrong place. [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225803230 by [[Special:Contributions/167.1.176.4|167.1.176.4]] ([[User talk:167.1.176.4|talk]])
{{otheruses4|the pasta dish|the song by "Weird" Al Yankovic|Lasagna (song)}}
[[Image:Lasagne 2.jpg|thumb|right]]
'''Lasagna''' (singular, {{pronounced|laˈzaɲa}} in Italian; plural '''lasagne''' pronounced {{IPA|[laˈzaɲe]}}) is both a form of [[pasta]] in sheets (sometimes rippled, though seldom so in [[Italy]]) and also a dish, sometimes named ''lasagne al forno'' (meaning "oven-cooked lasagne") made with alternate layers of pasta, [[cheese]], and often [[ragù]] (a [[meat]] [[sauce]]) or [[tomato sauce]].
The word ''lasagna'', which originally applied to a cooking pot, now simply describes the food itself.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foodreference.com/html/flasagna.html | title="Lasagna: Food Facts & Trivia" | publisher=Foodreference.com | accessdate = 2007-05-04}}</ref> Most English-speaking people follow the Italian usage and use the plural "lasagne" to refer to both the dish and the pasta, but Americans commonly use the singular "lasagna". For example, [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] (an American singer and songwriter) used this spelling for his song "[[Lasagna (song)|Lasagna]]", which is as a parody of "[[La Bamba (song)|La Bamba]]".
==Variants==
[[Image:Lasagna.jpg|thumb|right|"Lasagne verdi" (green lasagne); made with spinach and cheese.]]
Various recipes call for several kinds of cheese, most often [[ricotta cheese|ricotta]] and [[mozzarella cheese|mozzarella]]. The classic Lasagne alla Bolognese uses only [[Parmigiano Reggiano]]. While most recipes use a tomato based sauce, many recipes also add [[béchamel sauce]] (besciamella).
There are hundreds if not thousands of variants of lasagna from artichoke spinach lasagna to spicy chipotle lasagna. The dish itself lends itself favorably to many creative changes of ingredients by a chef. A variant is ''Lasagne verde'' (green lasagne) which is the normal egg pasta with [[spinach]] added. Other variations include vegetarian or seafood versions of the dish. This concept is acknowledged by the writers of the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' episode called "[[The Butter Shave]]", in which "Vegetable Lasagna" was the nickname given by [[Elaine Benes]] to the airline passenger next to her.
[[Łazanki]] is a similar dish made in [[eastern Europe]].
==Origin==
[[Image:Lasagna NIH.jpg|thumb|Rippled sheets of pasta are common in [[North America]], but not in [[Italy]].]]
Although the dish is generally believed to have originated in [[Italy]]<ref name="Lasagna British">
{{cite web
| url=http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/a/008887.htm
| title="Stop the Presses, Lasagna is British!"
| last=Emory
| first=David
| publisher=[[About.com]]
| date=[[July 15]] [[2003]]
| accessdate=2007-04-23}}
</ref>, the word "lasagna" is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''λάσανα'' (''lasana'') or ''λάσανον'' (''lasanon'') meaning "trivet or stand for a pot", "chamber pot"<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2361998 ''Lasana'', Liddell and Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus]</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.salon.com/april97/food/cookbook970402.html
|title=A Lighthearted Look at How Foods Got Their Names
|accessdate=2007-09-30
|last=Muhlke
|first=Christine
|date=[[1997-04-02]]
|work=Cookbook Shelf: Book Review
|publisher=[[Salon.com]]
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.britannica.com/dictionary?va=Lasagna |title=lasagna |accessdate=2007-09-30 |work=Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary |publisher= [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online }}</ref>. The word was later borrowed by the Romans as "lasanum" to mean cooking pot. The Italians then used the word to refer to the dish in which what is now known as lasagne is made. Another theory suggests that lasagna might have come from Greek ''λάγανον'' (''laganon''), a kind of flat sheet of pasta dough cut into stripes.<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2361489 ''Laganon'', Liddell and Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus]</ref><ref>"Food in the Ancient World from A to Z", Andrew Dalby, Routledge, 2003</ref><ref>"Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture", Eugene Newton Anderson, NYU Press, 2005</ref><ref>[http://www.pasta.go.it/origin.htm ''The Real Italian Pasta'']</ref>
The recipe was featured in the first cookbook ever written in England, leading to an urban legend that the dish originated in the British Isles.<ref name="Lasagna British">{{cite web
| url=http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/a/008887.htm
| title="Stop the Presses, Lasagna is British!"
| last=Emory
| first=David
| publisher=[[About.com]]
| date=[[July 15]] [[2003]]
| accessdate=2007-04-23}}
</ref> The claim is dubious, due to the much earlier [[Rome|Roman]] use of "lasanum", and the Italian embassy in [[London]] particularly speaks out against such theories.<ref name="Lasagna British">
{{cite web
| url=http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/a/008887.htm
| title="Stop the Presses, Lasagna is British!"
| last=Emory
| first=David
| publisher=[[About.com]]
| date=[[July 15]] [[2003]]
| accessdate=2007-04-23}}
</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
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[[Category:Pasta]]
[[Category:Cheese dishes]]
[[Category:Italian cuisine]]
[[Category:Greek loanwords]]
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