"I've never met a lasagne I didn't like", declared Garfield, the comic-strip cat, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'd disagree with the chubby talking tabby. One of Italy's most popular culinary exports, the word "lasagne" derives from the Latin word "lasanum" meaning cooking pot, but the term has now come to describe the dish itself – in any lasagne recipe, expect to find sheets of wide pasta layered with a savoury mixture and baked in the oven.
Everyone has their favourite lasagne recipe and there are many variations on the theme. Lasagne can be also be made with vegetables or seafood, and as testimony to its wide-ranging appeal, there's even a Mexican version that features chillies and layers of corn tortillas instead of pasta. But, however you like to make or eat it, there's just something about lasagne that exudes the Italian qualities of warmth and hospitality, and makes you feel instantly at home – wherever you happen to be.