Pastas

Capellini ( literally “thin hair” ) is a very thin variety of Italian pasta. Like spaghetti, it is rod-shaped, in the form of long strands, and thinner than vermicelli. Capelli d’angelo ( literally angel hair ) is an even thinner variant of capellini.

Fettuccine ( literally “little ribbons” in Italian ) is a type of pasta popular in Rome. It is a flat, thick noodle made of egg and flour, similar to what is called tagliatelle elsewhere in Italy. In Italian cuisine, it is traditionally made fresh. A popular fettuccine dish in North America is fettuccine alfredo.

Fusilli is a small, thick, corkscrew shaped pasta. The word fusilli means “little spindles” in Italian. Green and red varieties of fusilli ( or any pasta ) are created by using spinach or beet juice, respectively, instead of water. Fusilli is not to be confused with the short, flattened, twisted pasta known as rotini. Fusilli were referred to in “The Fusilli Jerry”, an episode of the sitcom Seinfeld, in which Kramer makes a sculpture of Jerry out of them.

Linguine ( also spelled linguini ) is a pasta that is flat like fettuccine and trenette, but narrow like spaghetti. The name means “little tongues” in Italian. Linguine originates from the Campania region of Italy. While spaghetti traditionally accompanies meat and tomato dishes, linguine is often served with seafood or pesto. Linguine alle vongole (with clams) is a popular use of this pasta. In most recipes spaghetti and linguine are interchangeable.

Parpadella is a long thick pasta, twice as wide as fettucini. Parpadella is normally served with hearty sauces.

Penne is a pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, usually with a ridged surface with the ends cut on the diagonal. The same or similar shape is also called mostaccioli and Ziti, which also refer to particular dishes made from penne-shaped pasta. Penne is the plural form of the Italian penna, deriving from Latin penna ( meaning “feather” or “quill” ). In Italy, penne are produced in two variants: “penne lisce” (smooth) and “penne rigate” (furrowed), the latter having ridges on each noodle. Penne is traditionally cooked to al dente and served with pasta sauces such as pesto. Penne is a popular ingredient in pasta salads. Penne makes an excellent and versatile pasta for many applications because of its very practical design. The hollow center allows it to hold sauce, while the angular ends act as scoops. Penne’s ridges allow it to hold still more sauce, as well as lending it an appealing texture.

Rigatoni is a tube-shaped pasta. It is larger than penne and ziti. Rigatoni is usually ridged with square ends, unlike penne. Rigatoni can be coupled with many different sauces, from creamy to chunky. The tube may be stuffed with cheese or other soft foods. In surveys rigatoni is shown to be the most popular form of pasta in Italy. The word rigatoni comes from the Italian word rigati, which means “ridged”.