The first-century BC Roman poet Cato wrote in his Sermones that he was going home to have a meal of leeks and chickpeas mixed with what he called laganum. This was a basic pasta, probably cut into long lengths. To this day, in Puglia and elsewhere in the south, ciceri or lagane e tria, a soup of chickpeas, pasta (usually tagliatelle) and other vegetables (including potato!), is a popular speciality.