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Know your pasta
These are the names of different kinds of pastas – that you’ve tasted at one time or another – which varies from one region to another, but like you will see none of the figures in the pictures or Italian names will be completely new.
Capelli di angelo:
Extremely thin, long strands of pasta, which are available in both strands and nests. These must be dried in rolled or bunches so they don’t break. Also known as Angel Hair. Because of its delicate texture it tastes better with a light sauce.
Cannelloni:
Large tubes of pasta normally seasoned and filled with sauce and cheese, before baking them. They can also be fried once filled until they turn golden and crunchy; in that case they would have to be cooked before filling them. Lasagna are commonly used for cannelloni, since it’s easier to place the filling and roll them up.
Farfalle:
Its name means butterfly. This bow tie pasta – which is also called butterfly pasta – is ideal for serving with a meat and vegetable sauce, since the sauce can be caught between the folds.
Fettuccine:
Flat pasta that looks a lot like spaghetti. It’s sold in coiled nests and is delicious, especially with creamy sauces which stay on more than others that are too thick.
Lasagna:
These rectangular sheets of pasta are almost always layered with meat, fish or vegetables, to later be covered with cheese and baked. The result is an exquisite and filling dish. In some place you can find instant lasagna which doesn’t need to be cooked beforehand.
Linguine:
In Italian it means ‘little tongue’. Very similar to spaghetti but with cut extremes. Used as spaghetti and fettuccini.
Macaroni:
There is the classical long, short or thin tube, but the easiest one to cook with is the cut macaroni called “elbow noodle”, very common outside Italy. It’s very frequently used for baked dishes and with the ever so popular macaroni with cheese.
Orecchiette:
Thick disk shaped pasta that is formed into bowls or "little ears." The outer edge is thicker than the center. They’re made without eggs so its texture is firmer and chewer than other pastas. This pasta was traditionally homemade, however now it is possible to find in supermarkets and Italian stores.
Pappardelle:
Wide flat ribbon pasta. It is available with straight edges or rippled edges. Sometimes spelled papparedelle. It was a custom to serve this pasta with a sauce made of hare, herbs and wine, but nowadays it is used with any spicy sauce.
Penna:
The ‘penne’ noodle is a tube like pasta, cut at the ends at an angle, resembling a quill pen. Its ideal for serving with beef sauces that get trapped in the tube.
Conchiglie:
This is what they’re called when they’re big, but if they’re small they are ‘conchigliette’, which means little shell or snail. It’s the best one to serve with a fish or seafood stew. These pasta shells are favorites for salads and soups.
Spaghetti-Espagueti:
Its name is from the Italian word “spago” which means string and it’s the most liked and known of pastas outside of Italy. It can be served heated in butter or olive oil and its tastes great with any sauce.
Pasta spirale:
Its also known as “fusilli”, spiral, screw or twists; its excellent when mixed with a meat sauce which gets caught on the spirals.
Tagliarini:
Its pronounced “tallarin”; very similar to fettuccini (wide and narrow). It is more common in the north of Italy, and it is cooked the same as fettuccini.
Note
There are some rules that will help you to better enjoy your pasta: thin and long pasta, for example, needs a sticky sauce. Hollow or twisted pasta needs a thick sauce; while flat and smooth pasta goes good with rich sauces and delicate pasta need a light sauce, without chunks in the sauce.
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