In 1957, a BBC news show, Panorama, announced that Swiss farmers were enjoying a good spaghetti crop because of mild weather and the near elimination of the devastating spaghetti weevil. The announcement was accompanied by video footage of Swiss farm workers pulling strands of spaghetti off of trees.
Soon after the show aired, the BBC was inundated with calls from viewers keen on knowing how to plant their own spaghetti tree. The BBC replied: "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
