THE TESTIMONY OF AL IDRISI
“To the west of Termini lies the Trabia conurbation, a charming site, rich in perennial waters and mills, with a beautiful plain and vast estates where they produced itrìya in such quantity as to supply, in addition to the Calabrian cities, the Muslim and Christian territories where large loads were sent”. 1154 a.C., Al-Idrisi. This is an Arabic text excerpt from the book titled «The book of Rogers» (Nuzhat al mushtaq li ikhtirag al alag Kitab = the book of those who delight) written by the Moroccan geographer Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Idris, better known as Al Idrisi.
This book text was given to the Norman King of Sicily. The Arabs have always been innovators and experimenters and had identified in Sicily the ideal location for the production of pasta, of «itriya».
The word “itriya”, in fact, takes its name from the ancient Arabic “itryah” which means “flat bread cut into strips”.