Spaghetti, the thinner variant of Italian pasta, is a comfort food the world swears by. Though best eaten with meatballs, spaghetti is eaten in a number of different ways, including with seafood, vegetables, cheeses, or sausages.

The extremely versatile dish of spaghetti is especially popular in America due to its capacity to handle sauces that people love to indulge in. Despite having divided opinions around its origin -- some say Marco Polo learned of it during his voyage to China while others are convinced it's a home-grown delicacy rooted in Sicilian tradition -- spaghetti unites every foodie on taste grounds.

However, the most popular theory suggests that spaghetti, the well-loved pasta format, derived its name from the Italian word "spago," which means string in Italian. It was so named due to being cut into thin string-like shapes that form whimsical spirals when served in a bowl.

The dish reportedly earned its first mention in 1870 in an Italian chef's cookbook. If we go by another theory, the dish was actually in the Middle East around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, according to Publishers Weekly.

Turns out, despite doubts over its origin, spaghetti enjoys sweeping popularity in all nations alike. And for those who can't help but obsess over the mouthwatering dish, Jan. 4 is officially dedicated to the cuisine. Called National Spaghetti Day, the occasion allows every spaghetti lover to just dig in!

In honor of the day, here are some quotes that are sure to leave you wanting a bowlful of spaghetti right now. (Courtesy: A to Z quotes)

  • "Life is like a bowl of spaghetti. Every once in a while, you get a meatball." - Sharon Creech
  • "Italians love sun, sin, and spaghetti." - Lady Randolph Churchill
  • "There is no perfect spaghetti sauce. There are perfect spaghetti sauces." - Howard Moskowitz
  • "Danger is to adventure what garlic is to spaghetti sauce. Without it, you just end up with stewed tomatoes." - Tom Robbins
  • "Thinking about spaghetti that boils eternally but is never done is a sad, sad thing." - Haruki Murakami
  • "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." - Sophia Loren
  • "When faced with something I fear, I tend to eat spaghetti."- Mark Helprin
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Representation. Spaghetti. Pixabay