Although the origins of pasta are often debated, Italy is undoubtedly the homeland of this carbohydrate. The country produces over 3 million tonnes annually.
The pasta dish is not only noodles with traditional red sauce. This basic ingredient can be more than a simple spaghetti and meatballs.
Currently, there are an estimated 350 different types of pasta. And around 1,400 other names for these types of pasta.
However, many people stick to the types of pasta they know best.
Life is a combination of magic and pasta.
-Federico Fellini
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Capellini
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Capellini, commonly known as angel hair pasta, is one of the thinnest types of pasta, with a diameter of around 0.9 millimeters. The delicate strands of capellini are best paired with light sauces, as the noodles will get lost in something like a heavy meat sauce.
Fettuccine
Fettuccine is a flat, ribbon-like shape that makes it sturdy pasta that can hold up to various sauces. It’s best known for the popular dish fettuccine alfredo.
Fusilli
Fusilli is a short, twisted shape. With its name remembering a tool used to twist wool (the “fuso”), this spiral pasta is perfect with meat or ricotta-based sauces, which its shape can hold.
Farfalle
Farfalle, nicknamed bow tie pasta, is a versatile shape that can be used in most recipes that call for short pasta. It pairs particularly well with meat and vegetable dishes.
Linguine
Linguine is a long, thin, flat noodle that is best known for its clam-based sauces and other seafood dishes.
The tube-shaped macaroni pasta is perfect for cream sauces or anything with melty cheese because the hollow inside fills with whatever it’s paired with.
Orecchiette
Orecchiette translates to “little ears” because its concave shape resembles an ear. This type of pasta can be served in soups with veggies.
Rigatoni
Rigatoni gains its name from the ridges on its wide cylindrical surface. These short pasta tubes are also favored in Southern Italy, often paired with thicker sauces. Sauces adhere well to the ridges of this pasta, while the tubes are able to hold chunks of vegetables and meat. This type of pasta is also suitable for baking.
Pappardelle
Pappardelle noodles are similar to fettuccine because they’re flat, but pappardelle is wider than fettuccine. It is a popular type of pasta for robust meat sauces like bolognese.
Penne
Italy’s most popular pasta is penne, a classic pasta type. The short, tube-shaped, and hollow center makes it suitable for all sorts of sauces and pairings, from chunky meat sauces to delicate creams.
Spaghetti
Translating as ‘thin strings’, Spaghetti is one of the most, if not the most, well-known types of pasta. Around 30cm in length, its cylindrical strands are known for their use in Carbonara or Puttanesca. Spaghetti is not made to retain sauce as well as other pasta; it is better suited to lighter, simpler sauces. A classic spaghetti Aglio e olio is a classic example of this.
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