This past week, a majority of Italians excluded pasta from their supermarket shopping lists to protest the forthcoming price increases of pasta.Pasta is one of the staple foods of Italy, with many Italian families eating it 5-6 times a week. Even if the price increases only by a few cents, it will have a definite impact on their weekly food budge

This past week, a majority of Italians excluded pasta from their supermarket shopping lists to protest the forthcoming price increases of pasta.Pasta is one of the staple foods of Italy, with many Italian families eating it 5-6 times a week. Even if the price increases only by a few cents, it will have a definite impact on their weekly food budge

Consumer groups held nationwide protests Thursday to draw attention to the burden placed on families by the rising cost of food — especially Italians’ beloved staple, pasta.

Biofuel enthusiasts in Italy may have just seen their hopes falter a bit: facing the prospect of mounting durum wheat prices, many pasta lovers in the country will undoubtedly wonder whether it's worth trading in their staple food for more wheat-based ethanol.

Food is any substance, usually composed primarily of carbohydrates, fats, water and/or proteins, that can be eaten or drunk by an animal for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be sourced from plants, animals or other categories such as fungus or fermented products like alcohol. Although many human cultures sought food items through hunting and gathering, today most cultures use farming, ranching, and fishing, with hunting, foraging and other methods of a local nature included but playing a minor role.Most traditions have a recognizable cuisine, a specific set of cooking traditions, preferences, and practices, the study of which is known as gastronomy. Many cultures have diversified their foods by means of preparation, cooking methods and manufacturing. This also includes a complex food trade which helps the cultures to economically survive by-way-of food, not just by consumption.Many cultures study the dietary analysis of food habits. While humans are omnivores, religion and social constructs such as morality often affect which foods they will consume. Food safety is also a concern with foodborne illness claiming many lives each year. In many languages, food is often used metaphorically or figuratively, as in "food for thought".