If there was an official cuisine of New Jersey, it would probably be Italian food! It sometimes seems like you can’t go two blocks without finding a new pizza shop, pasta house, or Italian trattoria opening up – and we like it that way! However, there are some places you definitely don’t expect to find Italian food – and that includes the forest! That’s why residents of Old Bridge were so surprised when they found piles of pasta waiting in the New Jersey woods in early May 2023. And it wasn’t just some casual dumping of camp food – this was hundreds of pounds of pasta, left strewn around for animals to eat. A careless litterer, or something more mysterious? One particular resident of Old Bridge was determined to crack the mystery of the great pasta dump.

Old Bridge is a busy central New Jersey borough filled with packed shopping districts filled with stores and restaurants.
Nikki B/Google Local
It's also home to some incredible natural wonders like Cheesequake State Park, a gorgeous area for those looking to explore nature.
State of New Jersey/Wikipedia
One thing nature lovers definitely weren't expecting to find on a hike through the woods, though, was pasta - and a lot of it!
Nina Jochnowitz for Old Bridge/Facebook

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It's estimated that over 500 pounds of pasta were dumped in the woods by someone, and this bizarre occurrence was brought to light by a former Old Bridge political candidate who wondered why the government hadn't cleaned it up yet!
Nina Jochnowitz for Old Bridge/Facebook
It wasn't just one kind of pasta, either - those examining the bizarre find saw spaghetti and alphabet-shaped pasta, among others.
Nina Jochnowitz for Old Bridge/Facebook
Many people raised comparisons to the tale of Strega Nona, the kindly witch whose dim-witted assistant Big Anthony activated her never-ending pasta pot - but then didn't know how to make it stop.
Melanie/Flickr
The actual answer seems to be more mundane. A neighbor says he believes the great pasta dump happened when a man was cleaning out his late mother's home. He dumped her large collection of dry pasta - just before heavy rain, which caused it to swell up into the massive piles found in the woods.
The pasta has since been cleaned up by the city government, bringing an end to the bizarre affair. And Old Bridge residents will now happily get their pasta at local restaurants like Via Sposito instead!
Naoko Blue/Google Local

You probably won’t find pasta in the New Jersey woods – but you can probably find it in your hometown! Tell us your favorite places for Italian food in your neighborhood in the comments section, and let us know if you have any theories about the great pasta dump! If you’re looking for a pasta meal in Old Bridge that isn’t in the woods, check out the website of Via Sposito to satisfy your pasta cravings! Want to know the secrets of another iconic New Jersey food? Check out the origins of salt-water taffy.

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Old Bridge, NJ, USA
Via Sposito, 3857 County Rd 516, Old Bridge, NJ 08857, USA