Except they called it pasta fazule (not sure of the spelling).
A lot of dishes -- some considered very gourmet or exotic ethnic these days -- originated out of peasant necessity. A prime example is cioppino, although it originated in San Francisco and not Italy. The Italian fishermen at SF's Fisherman's Wharf at the end of the day threw whatever didn't sell into a big pot with a tomato sauce and that was their evening meal. Tourists would be curious and ask what it was, so the adjoining restaurants began serving it with a hefty price tag. I suspect paella had a similar origin back in Spanish days.
And anything involving organ meats, or less than prime cuts of meats, you can bet originated with farmers making do with the left-overs from what the market would pay well for. When I look at the price of head cheese, short ribs, shanks, offal, these days I have to shake my head.
