Chicken salad with farfalle

Bow tie or butterfly? You decide.

No, don't. I'll decide for you.

Butterfly, not bow tie.

Why?

History. Marco Polo did not bring pasta to Italy. The Arabs did centuries previously. Pasta was introduced by the Arabs in the 9th century. Dried pasta was widespread by the 12th century. Durum wheat cultivation developed concurrently in the area that is not friendly to durum wheat cultivation and that is how much of this is tracked. So that's pasta but not necessarily this kind of pasta. It could have taken a long time to get around to inventing this particular type of pasta.

Bow ties were introduced in the 17th century. Prussian Army. Armies were so fashionable then. So pasta came to Italy way before bow ties came to Italy. I think it is safe to say that bow ties are named after the butterfly and not after the pasta that is named after butterflies. And I think it is safe to say that farfalle pasta did not take centuries to arise after pasta generally became widespread, even so long as to follow bow ties becoming common that a new pasta would be named for them. No, the pasta is named for the butterfly and so is the bow tie. 

I mention all this because I had a little argument about it recently. I lost the argument but only because there is so little respekt 4 mah authoritah. That's okay, they'll be quoting me without crediting me soon enough.