Pasta alla Norma | |
Course | Primo |
---|---|
Place of origin | Italy |
Region or state | Sicily |
Main ingredients | pasta, tomato, eggplant, ricotta salata |
Pasta alla Norma (Italian: [ˈpasta alla ˈnɔrma]), earlier called pasta con le melanzane 'pasta with eggplant',[1][2] is an Italian dish of pasta and eggplant. It is typical of Sicilian cuisine,[3] from Catania in particular.[4]
It is made of spaghetti or other pasta with tomato sauce, covered with slices of fried eggplant and served with grated ricotta salata cheese[4] and often basil.[5]
It was named in honor of the native of Catania Vincenzo Bellini, the composer of the opera Norma.[4][2] It is said that the Italian writer Nino Martoglio exclaimed "This is a real 'Norma'!", meaning a masterpiece, when he tasted the dish,[5][6] though the name is not attested until decades after his death.[7]
Pasta alla Norma was named "dish of the year" by the BIT[5]
Tourism Award in 2018.