Pasta is the world's favorite food. A survey taken in 17 countries confirmed that pasta is what people like to eat most. Not only is pasta the number one food in its home country Italy, but it is also enjoyed in faraway places like the Philippines, Mexico and South Africa. Pasta has become popular, for one thing, because it is cheap and easy to prepare. Just cook noodles or other forms of pasta, make a sauce to go with it and you're finished. Many different types of meals can be created with pasta. It tastes good and fills your stomach. It produces energy in the form of carbohydrates  , which is why athletes eat pasta regularly. Pasta can also be kept for a long time. You don't have to use it up at once. Pasta has also become popular because it stands for the Italian way of life. People all over the world like it because it's so simple. It has two basic ingredients, wheat and water, just like bread. Before it became popular in Italy during the 19th century, earlier civilizations also ate pasta. Legend has it that Marco Polo brought pasta back to Italy with him but this is not true. Arabs probably brought a noodle-like dish to Sicily in the 8th century. Farmers have been growing wheat, the main ingredient of pasta, there for ages. The worldwide sales of pasta have risen sharply over the past decade. $16 billion worth of pasta were sold in 2010, compared to $13 billion worth of the favorite food in 2003. Italy leads the pasta-eating community of the world. The Italians are the number one consumers followed by Venezuela and Tunisia. ks5u We can infer from the passage that   _  .
Marco Polo first brought pasta to Italy pasta has a history of over 1,200 years pasta is greatly welcomed in 17 countries sales of pasta in 2010 doubled those of 2003