Alimentary pastes

An alternative term for pasta — the formal Codex name for shaped doughs of cereal flour and water, sometimes enriched with egg. Standards define composition, moisture limits for dried products and labelling, distinguishing plain, egg and filled varieties and protecting the staple against adulteration with inferior ingredients. The formality of ‘alimentary pastes’ reflects pasta’s status as a globally traded commodity: when millions of tonnes cross borders, regulators want a precise, enforceable identity. In everyday language the world says pasta; in standards texts, it says alimentary pastes.