Swiss Spaghetti Bushes

Where does Spaghetti come from?  In 1957 the BBC, informed the world that Spaghetti came from bushes. 

The original 1957 BBC hoax succeed because it was shown on the prestigious Panorama Program.  In true BBC documentary tone, Richard Dimbleby explained how Spaghetti was harvested from bushes, dried, then processed into strands of spaghetti.

The program continued with how the eradication of the spaghetti weevil, this year’s spaghetti crop was going to be the best ever and how pickers and dryers were needed in the south of Switzerland. 

I remember the Spaghetti Saga well and believed it, as did my father, mostly because he did not know better and I was really young!  But even at my tender age I wondered why an Italian plant was growing in southern Switzerland.  Did not they belong in Italy – land of the pasta?

And, the audience lapped it up as did most of our friends and the fellow scientists my father worked with!  I am told a few people even phoned in asking where they could buy a Spaghetti bush or whom to contact to work as laborers during the next season!

My guess is you could resurrect this April Fool's day stunt.  Today's children maybe more sophisticated in many ways - for example, they would not believe that a radio program purporting that Martians had landed in America was true.  However, today’s children are notoriously ignorant on the sources of food.  All they know is that if they want food, they just open a tin or raid the freezer.