: Developed pastasciutta using durum wheat semolina, usually served with thick sauces. Key Themes Pasta - Columbia University Press
: Focused on soft wheat flour noodles (often called bing ), typically served in broth with meat or vegetables.
The book rejects common myths—most notably the fictional 20th-century story that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy from China—to provide a factual, documented history. It frames China and Italy as the two "true homelands" of pasta, each developing distinct but complementary traditions: