The first pasta was not spaghetti, but dumplings—the style Marco
Polo saw during his trip to China. Photo by Joan Ho | SXC. Last
Updated February 2012 The History Of Pasta Page 2: It Traveled
From China To Arabia To Italy This is Page 2 of a five-page
article; here, an introduction to pasta history. Click on the
black links below to visit other pages. The Middle Ages
Documents from the 12th century describe something like a
factory in the area of Palermo, that exported dry pasta to
regions of southern Italy. By the 1300s, dried pasta had spread
to Genoa. Genovese sailors, among the best traders in the
Mediterranean, brought the pasta north from Sicily. Pasta was
very popular for its nutrition and its shelf life, and was ideal
for long ocean voyages. From the port of Genoa it traveled to
other areas, including Provence and London. Genoa became a trade
center, and then a producer, of dry pasta. Marco Polo: The
Historic Truth What about the belief that the great Venetian
explorer, Marco Polo, introduced pasta to