Around the first half of the 19th century, during the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Lent days were called giorni di scammaro and people had to eat quite frugally, avoiding meat and rich foods. It is in this period that a peculiar frittata, the frittata scammaro was created, mixing together pasta with olives, sultanas, pine nuts and anchovies. 

The tradition continued during times of economic difficulty, when wallets were empty and nothing would go to waste. And this is how, in Naples, a delicacy -which was to become a traditional local dish - was born out of a plate of leftover maccheroni.