From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Some different colours and shapes of pasta, in a pasta specialty store in Venice.
While the only basic difference between these names is the shape of the pasta, each pasta is typically matched with a particular sauce based on cooking time, consistency, ability to hold sauce, ease of eating etc. In the same way that hamburgers are generally not eaten on hotdog buns, likewise, pasta amatriciana, for example, is not made with angel hair spaghetti, but with bucatini. Some pasta varieties are uniquely regional and not diffused throughout Italy. In other cases, the cut of pasta is present in more than one region, but the cut is called by another name. For example, the cut Rotelle is also called by the names Ruote or Wagon Wheel.
[edit] Shaped pasta
| Image |
Type |
Common? |
Description |
Translation |
| No Pic |
Campanelle |
No |
Small cones |
"little bells" |
| No Pic |
Casarecci |
No |
Short lengths rolled into an "S" |
|
| No Pic |
Cavatelli |
Yes |
Seashell shaped with rolled edges |
 |
Cencioni |
No |
Petal shaped, slightly curved with rough convex side |
"little rag" |
 |
Conchiglie |
Yes |
Seashell shaped |
"shells" |
| No Pic |
Conchiglioni |
Yes |
Large, stuffable seashell shaped |
"large shells" |
| No Pic |
Creste di galli |
No |
Short, curved and ruffled |
|
| No Pic |
Farfalle |
Yes |
Bow tie or butterfly shaped |
From farfalla, meaning butterfly |
| No Pic |
Farfallone |
No |
Larger bow ties |
"large butterfly" |
 |
Fiori |
Yes |
Shaped like a flower |
"flowers" |
 |
Fusilli |
Yes |
Rotini |
Fusilli, meaning rifle. As the inside barrel of a gun is "rifled" using a similar screw-shaped device |
| No Pic |
Fusilli Bucati |
No |
A more spring shaped variety |
"holed rifles" |
 |
Gemelli |
Yes |
A single S-shaped strand of pasta twisted in a loose spiral |
"twins" |
| No Pic |
Gigli |
No |
Cone or flower shaped |
|
| No Pic |
Gramigna |
No |
Short curled lengths of pasta |
 |
Lanterne |
No |
Curved ridges |
"lantern holders" |
| No Pic |
Lumache |
No |
Snail shaped |
From lumaca, meaning snail |
| No Pic |
Lumaconi |
No |
Jumbo Lumache |
|
| No Pic |
Maltagliati |
No |
Flat roughly cut triangles |
"badly cut" |
| No Pic |
Orecchiette |
No |
Bowl or ear shaped pasta |
"little ears" |
| No Pic |
Pipe |
Yes |
Larger versions of macaroni |
| No Pic |
Quadrefiore |
No |
Square with rippled edges |
|
| No Pic |
Radiatore |
Yes |
Shaped like radiators |
|
| No Pic |
Ricciolini |
No |
Short wide noodles with a 90—degree twist |
|
 |
Rotelle |
Yes |
Wagon wheel shaped pasta |
"little wheels" (from ruota - wheel) |
 |
Rotini |
Yes |
Fusilli |
|
| No Pic |
Spirali |
Yes |
A tube which spirals round |
| No Pic |
Spiralini |
No |
More tightly—coiled fusilli |
|
| No Pic |
Strozzapreti |
No |
Rolled across their width |
literally means "choke priest" or "strangle priest" |
| No Pic |
Torchio |
No |
Torch shaped |
|
| No Pic |
Trofie |
No |
Thin twisted pasta |
|
[edit] Tubular pasta
| Image |
Type |
Common? |
Description |
Translation |
 |
Bucatini |
No |
Hollow spaghetti |
from "buco" meaning hole. "little hole" |
| No Pic |
Calamarata |
No |
Wide ring shaped pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Calamaretti |
No |
Smaller Calamarata |
|
| No Pic |
Cannelloni |
Yes |
Large stuffable tubes |
|
| No Pic |
Cavatappi |
No |
"S" shaped macaroni also known as Scoobi Do |
|
| No Pic |
Cellentani |
No |
Corkscrew shaped tube |
|
| No Pic |
Chifferi |
No |
Short and wide macaroni |
|
| No Pic |
Ditalini |
No |
Short tubes; like elbows but shorter and without a bend |
|
| No Pic |
Fideuà |
No |
Short and thin tubes |
|
| No Pic |
Elbow macaroni |
Yes |
Bent tubes |
|
| No Pic |
Elicoidali |
No |
Slightly ribbed tube pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Fagioloni |
No |
Short narrow tube |
|
| No Pic |
Garganelli |
No |
Square egg noodle rolled into a tube |
|
 |
Macaroni |
Yes |
Any narrow tube pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Maccheroni |
No |
Longer macaroni |
|
| No Pic |
Maccheroncelli |
No |
Hollow pencil shaped pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Maltagliati |
No |
Short wide pasta with diagonally cut ends |
|
| No Pic |
Manicotti |
Yes |
Large stuffable ridged tubes |
|
| No Pic |
Mezzani |
No |
Short curved tube |
|
| No Pic |
Mezze Penne |
No |
Short version of penne |
|
| No Pic |
Mezzi Bombardoni |
No |
Wide short tubes |
|
| No Pic |
Mostaccioli |
Yes |
Another name for Penne |
|
| No Pic |
Paccheri |
No |
Large tube |
|
| No Pic |
Pasta al ceppo |
No |
Shaped like a cinnamon stick |
|
| No Pic |
Penne |
Yes |
Medium length tubes with diagonally cut ends |
literally "pens" because the tip is similar to that of a quill, or fountain pen |
| No Pic |
Penne rigate |
No |
Penne with ridged sides |
|
| No Pic |
Penne Zita |
No |
Wider version of penne |
|
| No Pic |
Pennette |
No |
Short thin version of penne |
|
| No Pic |
Pennoni |
No |
Wider version of penne |
|
| No Pic |
Perciatelli |
No |
Thicker bucatini |
|
| No Pic |
Rigatoncini |
No |
Smaller version of rigatoni |
|
 |
Rigatoni |
Yes |
Large and slightly curved tube |
from "riga" meaning line - "rigato" means lined, rigatoni means that with lines |
| No Pic |
Sagne Incannulate |
No |
Long tube formed of twisted ribbon |
|
| No Pic |
Scoobi Do |
No |
"S" shaped macaroni also known as Cavatappi |
"cork-screw" |
| No Pic |
Trenne |
No |
Penne shaped as a triangle |
|
| No Pic |
Trennette |
No |
Smaller version of trenne |
|
 |
Tortiglioni |
No |
Narrower rigatoni |
|
| No Pic |
Tuffoli |
No |
Ridged rigatoni |
|
| No Pic |
Ziti |
Yes |
Long, narrow hose-like tubes |
|
| No Pic |
Zitoni |
No |
Wider version of Ziti |
|
[edit] Strand noodles
| Image |
Type |
Common? |
Description |
Translation |
| No Pic |
Barbina |
No |
Thin strands often coiled into nests |
|
| No Pic |
capelli d’angelo |
Yes |
(kah-PELL-ee DAN-dzheh-low) The thinnest round-rod pasta. |
“angel hair” |
| No Pic |
Capellini |
Yes |
(kah-pehl-LEE-nee) A round-rod pasta, thicker than angel hair, and thinner than vermicelli. |
“thin hair” |
| No Pic |
Chitarra |
No |
Similar to spaghetti, except square rather than round |
"guitar" as guitars have squarish-chords |
| No Pic |
Ciriole |
No |
Thicker version of chitarra |
|
| No Pic |
Fedelini |
No |
(fay-day-LEE-nee) A round-rod pasta, thicker than vermicelli, and thinner than spaghetti. |
“little faithful ones” |
| No Pic |
Fusilli lunghi |
No |
Very long coiled rods (like a thin telephone cord) |
“long rifles” |
| No Pic |
Pici |
No |
Very thick, found in Tuscany |
|
| No Pic |
Spaghetti |
Yes |
(spah-GEH-tee) A round-rod pasta, thicker than fedelini. |
spago means twine. spaghetto means little twine. spaghetti is plural |
| No Pic |
Spaghettini |
No |
(spah-geh-TEE-nee) Thin spaghetti. |
-ini “thin/small” |
| No Pic |
Spaghettoni |
No |
(spah-geh-TOH-nee) Thick spaghetti. |
-oni “thick/large” |
| No Pic |
Vermicelli |
Yes |
(ver-mih-CHEL-lee) A round-rod pasta, thicker than capellini, and thinner than fedelini. |
“little worms” |
| No Pic |
Vermicelloni |
No |
(ver-mih-chel-OH-nee) Thick vermicelli. |
-oni “thick/large” |
[edit] Ribbon pasta noodles
| Image |
Type |
Common? |
Description |
Translation |
| No Pic |
Bavette |
No |
Narrower version of tagliatelle |
|
| No Pic |
Bavettine |
No |
Narrower version of bavette |
|
| No Pic |
Fettuce |
No |
Wider version of fettuccine |
|
| No Pic |
Fettuccine |
Yes |
Ribbon of pasta approximately one centimeter wide |
|
| No Pic |
Fettucelle |
No |
Narrower version of fettuccine |
|
| No Pic |
Lagane |
No |
Wide noodles |
|
| No Pic |
Lasagne |
Yes |
Very wide noodles that often have fluted edges |
|
| No Pic |
Lasagnette |
No |
Narrower version of lasagna |
|
| No Pic |
Lasagnotte |
No |
Longer version of lasagna |
|
| No Pic |
Linguettine |
No |
Narrower version of linguine |
|
| No Pic |
Linguine |
Yes |
Flattened spaghetti |
|
| No Pic |
Mafalde |
No |
Short rectangular ribbons |
|
| No Pic |
Mafaldine |
No |
Long ribbons with ruffled sides |
|
| No Pic |
Pappardelle |
Yes |
Thick flat ribbon |
|
| No Pic |
Pillus |
No |
Very thin ribbons |
|
| No Pic |
Pizzoccheri |
No |
Ribbon pasta made from buckwheat |
|
| No Pic |
Reginette |
No |
Wide ribbon with rippled edges |
|
| No Pic |
Sagnarelli |
No |
Rectangular ribbons with fluted edges |
|
| No Pic |
Scialatelli of Scilatielli |
No |
Homemade long spaghetti with a twisted long spiral |
|
| No Pic |
Stringozzi |
No |
Similar to shoelaces |
|
 |
Tagliatelle |
Yes |
Ribbon fairly thinner than fettuccine |
|
| No Pic |
Taglierini |
No |
Thinner version of Tagliatelle |
|
| No Pic |
Trenette |
No |
Thin ribbon ridged on one side |
|
| No Pic |
Tripoline |
No |
Thick ribbon ridged on one side |
|
[edit] Micro pasta
| Image |
Type |
Common? |
Description |
Translation |
| No Pic |
Acini di pepe |
No |
Bead-like pasta |
"Peppercorns" |
| No Pic |
Alphabets |
Yes |
Pasta shaped as letters of the alphabet |
| No Pic |
Anelli |
No |
Small rings of pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Anellini |
No |
Smaller version of anelli |
|
| No Pic |
Conchigliette |
No |
Small shell shaped pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Corallini |
No |
Small short tubes of pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Ditali |
No |
Small short tubes |
|
| No Pic |
Ditalini |
No |
Smaller versions of ditali |
|
| No Pic |
Farfalline |
No |
Small bow tie shaped pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Fideos |
No |
Short thin noodles |
|
| No Pic |
Filini |
No |
Smaller version of fideos |
|
 |
Fregula |
No |
Bead-like pasta from Sardinia |
|
| No Pic |
Funghini |
No |
Small mushroom shaped pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Occhi di pernice |
No |
Very small rings of pasta |
|
 |
Orzo |
Yes |
Rice shaped pasta (also, Risoni) |
|
| No Pic |
Pastina |
No |
Small spheres about the same size or smaller than acini di pepe |
|
| No Pic |
Pearl Pasta |
No |
Spheres slightly larger than acini di pepe |
|
| No Pic |
Quadrettini |
No |
Small flat squares of pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Risi |
No |
Smaller version of orzo |
|
| No Pic |
Seme di melone |
No |
Small seed shaped pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Stelle |
No |
Small star shaped pasta |
|
| No Pic |
Stelline |
No |
Smaller version of stelle |
|
| No Pic |
Stortini |
No |
Smaller version of elbow macaroni |
|
| No Pic |
Trachana |
No |
Granular, irregular shaped pasta of Greek origin |
|
[edit] Stuffed pasta
| Image |
Type |
Common? |
Description |
Translation |
| No Pic |
Ravioli |
Yes |
|
|
| No Pic |
Tortellini & Tortelloni |
Yes |
Small, rectangle. About 1x2cm. Stuffed with cheese and/or procciuto. |
|
| No Pic |
Mezzalune |
No |
Semi-circular pockets; about 2.5 in. diameter. |
"Half-moons" |
| No Pic |
Sacchettini |
No |
|
|
| No Pic |
Panzarotti |
Yes |
|
|
[edit] Irregular Shapes
| Image |
Type |
Common? |
Description |
Translation |
| No Pic |
Spätzle |
Yes |
German egg pasta that is either round in shape from being squeezed through a press, often reminding people of worms because of their soft consistency, or completely irregular, when hand made (without a press). |
Means "little sparrow" in German. |
 |
Gnocchi |
Yes |
Round in shape and often made with flour plus potatoes. |
|
