Orecchiette

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Orecchiette is a type of pasta native to Apulia, whose shape resembles a small ear (in Italian, "ear" is orecchio). In the Taranto area it is still called by the synonym chiancarelle. An orecchietta is about 3/4 of an inch in size and looks like a small white dome with a thinner center than edge and a rough surface.

A different, non-domed version is called strascinate. Like most pasta, all versions of orecchiette are made with only hard wheat flour, water and salt.

The typical regional recipe couples orecchiette with turnip heads.

[edit] Origins

Orecchiette probably come from the Provence region in France where a similar type of pasta has been made since Medieval times. This kind of pasta is disc-shaped with a hollowed center, usually obtained by pressing the thumb on the disc of dough; this particular shape facilitates the drying process so that the pasta could be saved for a famine. Boats leaving for long trips used to carry large quantities of this pasta. It is then claimed that the Anjous, the French dynasty that dominated Apulia in 1200, brought orecchiette into Italy with its current name.