Bossier Parish Library Column – 31
Annie Gilmer, Community Engagement Librarian
July 29, 2026
This week’s column topic is all about lasagna, partly because I didn’t expect even an unofficial holiday celebrating lasagna to be held in the middle of summer. Despite this dish being one I’d normally associate with colder months, I couldn’t skip it and I now have some fun facts to share with my readers.
For example: did you know that the first lasagna-type dish was made in Greece during the 14th century? And it was typically served at special events and holidays. The original dish was called “laganon” which, over the years and the various languages it was translated into eventually became “lasagna”.
Original recipes for lasagna didn’t contain meat, but included such ingredients as eggplant, artichoke, spinach, ricotta cheese, and other grated cheeses. It wouldn’t be until 1634 that a recipe for lasagna was officially recorded by Giovan Battista Crisci in his Lucerna de’ Corteggiani in which he recorded a variety of dishes he created for lunches and banquets. Crisci’s recipe is the first to be baked instead of boiled, and included layers of lasagna filled with cheese.
From here we get the Neapolitan lasagna recipe which now included a meat ragu sauce, small fried meatballs, hard boiled eggs, and mozzarella cheese. At this point in history the specifics of the recipes vary as this dish spread to more countries and more people put their own spin on the recipe. Personally, I love to make lasagna rollups; this basically means that you spread your chosen filling on one side of the pasta, then roll it up and place it in a baking dish, cover the rollups with your chosen sauce and bake!
This July 29th, have fun checking out and trying out new lasagna recipes! Do you prefer an alfredo sauce? Use it. Prefer Italian sausage or grilled veggies? Go for it. However you make it, make a day of it and invite friends and family over to share!
Questions? Email us at: [email protected]
Website: https://www.bossierlibrary.org/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bossierlibrary
Library Hours:
Central
Monday – Thursday, 9:00am – 8:00pm
Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Benton
Monday – Thursday, 9:00am – 7:00pm
Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Haughton
Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Aulds/East 80/Plain Dealing/Tooke
Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm
History Center
Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday, by appointment
Library Locations:
Aulds Branch
318.742.2337
Benton Branch
318.965.2751
Central Library
318.746.1693
East 80 Branch
318.949.2665
Haughton Branch
318.949.0196
History Center
318.746.7717
Plain Dealing Branch
318.326.4233
Tooke Branch
318.987.3915
New & Coming Soon:
Arcade Adventures: The Ultimate Anthology of Arcade Gaming (Non-Fiction; Book)
Conquering Polio: America’s Fight to End Polio Epidemics by Margaret J. Goldstein (Children’s Non-Fiction; Book, eBook)
Death on the Lanai: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery, Book 2 by Rachel Ekstrom Courage (Fiction; Book)
The Heart of the Nhaga: Bird That Drinks Tears Series, Book 1 by Yong-do Yi; translated by Anton Hur (Fiction; Book)
Leave and Come Back by Lavanya Lakshmi (Fiction; Book, eBook)
The Missed Connection: A Novel by Tia Williams (Fiction; Book, eBook, eAudiobook)
Nine Lives: A Novel by Catherine Steadman (Fiction; Book, eBook, eAudiobook)
Rocket’s Red Glare: A Thriller by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann (Fiction; Book, Large Print, eBook, eAudiobook)
Some Sort of Justice: A DC Smith/Kings Lake Investigation by Peter Grainger (Fiction; Book, eBook)
The Tuxedo Society: A Novel by Paul Rudnick (Fiction; Book)
Walking Red Flag: Dating Advice from Your Favorite Guy Friend by Jared Freid (Non-Fiction; Book)
We are Gathered Here Today: A Novel by Bobby Finger (Fiction; Book, eBook)
Whose Body in the Library: A Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates (Fiction; Book, eBook, eAudiobook)
