Do You Know Your Pasta Shapes?

The cold weather up in the Alpine Lombardy region calls for some hearty fare, like pizzoccheri. At first glance, these thick, flat buckwheat noodles, native to the village of Teglio in the Valtelline Valley, look like shorter, gray fettuccine. But unlike their customizable cousin, pizzoccheri have a distinctive nutty flavor and are almost always layered with potatoes, butter, cabbage, and gooey fontina cheese.

Long, thin, and flat, Liguria’s signature ribbon pasta is often confused and used interchangeably with the hugely popular linguine, but upon a closer look, you’ll see that trenette are just slightly thicker and just slightly wider. They’re different, okay? Like linguine, trenette pair beautifully with seafood, cheeses, and vegetables but the classic sauce for this toothsome pasta is basil pesto with green beans and potatoes.

Welcome to Emilia Romagna, a region known for wide ribbon pasta like tagliatelle, but more so for its pasta ripiena (stuffed pasta), like lasagne, and its pasta in brodo (in broth). Why not try both pasta ripiena and pasta in brodo at once? Anolini–stuffed, ring-shaped pasta swimming in brodo in terza (savory broth made from capon, beef, and hen)–have origins dating back to the 12th century, when their elaborate preparation made them fare for the noble classes. Good news–even humble folk like us can enjoy anolini today, particularly during the winter holidays. Different versions of anolini crop up in Piacenza and Parma, filled with breadcrumbs and cheese or beef stew.

Overseas, Tuscany is famous for its cheeses and heady wines, but Italians know to also ask their waiters for pici, the region’s signature pasta (like bucatini, but make it without the hole–it’s still just as challenging to wind around your fork). Pici originated in the Tuscan province of Siena and works well in recipes for both seafood and meat but is typically served with ragù di nana (duck ragout) or all’aglione (thick tomato and garlic sauce). Depending on the town, the dough may be made with just flour and water, resulting in a softer texture that still, somehow, comes out al dente.

Abruzzo’s quintessential pasta, “guitar spaghetti,” gets its name from its unusual preparation method: the pasta sheets are cut on guitar strings. Okay, not a real guitar–the actual tool looks something like a weaver’s loom with metal strings on top, just right for slicing the pasta sheets into long strands with a rugged square cross-section. Spaghetti alla chitarra pairs beautifully with fish or meat sauces like porky, tomato-ey amatriciana sauce, born in the village of Amatrice. Spaghetti alla chitarra is also often served with pallottine–Abruzzese-style mini meatballs.

If you’re tired of those dainty Northern pastas, head farther south and sink your teeth into some paccheri. This smooth and giant tubular pasta shape is often served with chunky Neapolitan ragu or delightful fish sauces like alici e pecorino (sardines and pecorino cheese). The name “paccheri” derives from an Ancient Greek term for a (friendly!) open-handed slap, and because of its large size, only a handful can fill a plate. Paccheri is also known as the “pasta of the poor.”

You’ve almost certainly seen these flour-and-water ear-shaped pasta bites before, but did you know that their name comes from their shape? Orecchiette (little ears) hail from the southern region of Puglia, in particular the province of Bari, where their roots stretch back to the 12th and 13th centuries. Their cup-like shape makes them wonderful for collecting sauces, but their most popular incarnation pairs them with cime di rape (bitter turnip greens).

Also known as maccaruni i casa…a.k.a. firrazzul…a.k.a. maccarruni a firrettu. Whatever you call it, this pasta shape comes straight from Calabria–Italy’s spiciest region. Calabrian fileja are medium-length, flour-and-water pasta discs rolled around a rod into a graceful leaf shape, leaving a lovely well in the middle to collect all manner of decadent Calabrian goat or pork-based sauces. Swoosh them around with a glob of porky, spicy nduja–another Calabrian culinary staple–for a sinfully tasty treat.

Dig into this long corkscrew pasta native to Trapani on the west coast of Sicily; each tasty spiral is formed by twisting pasta around a buso or metal knitting needle. It’s exceptional with ragouts and seafood, but in its city of origin, you’ll find it served with tangy Trapani-style pesto made with tomatoes, anchovies, almonds, garlic, and basil. Do you twirl it? Do you stab it? However you eat it, busiate is the Sicilian pasta you can’t refuse.