McDonald's Teams Up With Barilla For Pasta

It seems McDonald's is expanding its menu abroad once more (to add to those pretzel burgers in Germany, McBaguette sandwiches in France). In Italy, the fast-food giant will debut a pasta salad Friday to "Italianise" the menu, the Guardian reports.

The ensuing pennette pasta salad, as it's described, is "a balanced and skillful mix of tuna, tomatoes, peppers, capers, and olives, seasoned with a pinch of oregano and salt." lThe pasta salad was created after a deal with Barilla, Guardian reports, and will sell for €4.90 a serving (about $6).

The relationship has reportedly been called "the devil and holy water" collaboration, but it's not a new concept; McDonald's has in the past used Parmesan, mozzarella, and speck in its Italian stores, and Claudio Colzani, chief executive of the Barilla group, says the new item brings Mickey D's "ever nearer to the Mediterranean model of eating." Other PR-y speak says that the launch of the past was "a key step on the process of embracing the tastes, flavors, and habits of the Italians." We wonder what they would think of the Mickey D's fettucine Alfredo back in the day.