(CNN) — Today's food holiday is carbo-loads of fun - October 17 is National Pasta Day!

Invite your friends and family over for a bowl of spaghetti, linguine, farfalle, gnocchi or whatever variety that strikes your noodle fancy.

According to the National Pasta Association, the average American consumes 20 pounds of pasta every year. In fact, the United States produces 4.4 billion pounds of pasta annually, making it the second largest pasta-producing nation behind - you guessed it - Italy.

Buon appetito!

The-CNN-Wire/Atlanta
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