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National Spaghetti Day

Food · January 4

A day for spaghetti, the long, thin pasta twirled on forks across America, served with red sauce, meatballs, garlic and oil, or just butter.

National Spaghetti Day falls on Monday, January 4, 2027. That is 69 days away.

Spaghetti is a long, thin, round pasta, usually made from durum wheat semolina and water. The name comes from the Italian word for strings, which is about as accurate as names get.

In American kitchens it is one of the most familiar dinners there is. A pot of salted water, a box from the pantry, and about ten minutes later there is supper. It shows up with tomato sauce and meatballs, with clams, with garlic and olive oil, or tossed with butter and grated cheese for anyone who wants it simple. Leftovers turn into baked spaghetti or a cold forkful straight from the fridge.

Eating it is its own skill. Some people twirl strands against a spoon, others twirl against the curve of the plate, and a few cut it up and accept the looks. Slurping a single strand from end to end is mostly a childhood pleasure, though not only one.

Cooks often save a splash of the starchy pasta water before draining. Stirred into the sauce, it helps the sauce cling to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Dry spaghetti also snaps with a clean little crack, and it rarely breaks into just two pieces.

Ways to celebrate

• Cook a pot of spaghetti with your favorite sauce.
• Try aglio e olio, with just garlic, olive oil and pepper flakes.
• Share a plate of spaghetti and meatballs with friends or family.
• Save some pasta water and stir it into your sauce.
• Practice twirling a forkful neatly against your plate.

Dates

All national days on January 4

Also on January 4

• National Trivia Day

Categories: Food days