‘Fascist’ pasta condemned for referring to Abyssinia

The Italian dictator Mussolini killed thousands in an attempt to occupy Ethiopia, then called Abyssinia, in the 1930s
The Italian dictator Mussolini killed thousands in an attempt to occupy Ethiopia, then called Abyssinia, in the 1930s
ALAMY

An Italian pasta company is in hot water over its choice of name for a product which evokes fascist Italy’s bloody colonial campaign in Africa.

La Molisana apologised and said it would rename its Abissine pasta, after a furious social media campaign denounced the firm for recalling one of the darkest chapters of Italian history.

Mussolini, the Italian fascist dictator, poured troops into Ethiopia, then called Abyssinia, in an attempt to occupy it in the 1930s and used mustard gas to brutally subdue and kill thousands.

Italian pasta firms at the time chose specific shapes of pasta and named them after colonial victories. Shell-like pasta was called Abissine and the name has stuck.

“In the 1930s Italy celebrated the season of colonialism with new forms