Can you imagine! Over 400 types of pasta! I can only name maybe ten off the top of my head, but I guess when something was invented around a thousand years ago it has to change and evolve a lot!

Greek Mythology

According to Greek Mythology their god of fire, metalworking and the forge Vulcan invented a device that made “strings of dough” this seems to be the earliest known reference to a pasta maker!

List of Pasta:

Here is a list of pasta types. The follow tables maps out variations of shapes, forms, and sizes of pasta that compile the 400+ types.

Unique Shapes

NAME DESCRIPTION TRANSLATION Campanelle Flattened bell-shaped pasta with a frilly edge on one end Little bells Capunti Short convex ovals resembling an open empty pea pod Casarecce Short lengths rolled into an S shape From casereccio meaning homemade Cavatelli Short, solid lengths From the verb cavare meaning to hollow Cencioni Petal shaped, slightly curved with rough convex side Little rags Conchiglie Seashell shaped Shells Conchiglioni Large, stuffable seashell-shaped Large shells Corzetti Flat figure-eight stamped Creste di Galli Short, curved and ruffled Cocks combs Croxetti Flat coin-shaped discs stamped with coats of arms Little crosses Fantolioni Panda-shaped bow-ties commonly served with boiled olives Pre-packaged pandas Farfalle Bow tie or butterfly shaped Butterflies Farfallone Larger bowties Large butterfly Fiorentine Grooved cut tubes Florentine Fiori Shaped like a flower Little flowers Foglie dulivo Shaped like an olive leaf Olive leaf Fusilli Three-edged spiral, usually in mixed colors. Many vendors and brands sold as fusilli are two-edged From fusile, archaic/dialect form of fucile, meaning rifle. As the inside barrel of a gun is “rifled” using a similar screw-shaped device Fusilli Bucati A spring-shaped variety of the above Holed rifles Gemelli A single S-shaped strand of pasta twisted in a loose spiral Twins Gigli Cone or flower shaped Lilies Gnocchi Round in shape and often made with flour plus potatoes From the Italian gnocco, meaning “a knot in wood” Gramigna Short, curled lengths of pasta Scutch-grass; more generically, “infesting weed” Lanterne Curved ridges Lantern holders Lumache Snail-shaped From lumaca, meaning snail Lumaconi Jumbo lumache Large snails Maltagliati Flat roughly cut triangles Badly cut Mandala Designed by Philippe Starck in 1987 for French pasta-maker Panzani Design based on compensating for overcooking Marille Designed by Giorgetto Guigiaro in 1983 – like a rolling ocean wave in cross-section with internal rugosities, but unsuccessful and no longer produced From mare, meaning sea Orecchiette Bowl or ear shaped pasta Little ears Pipe Larger version of macaroni Smoking pipes Quadrefiore Square with rippled edges Flower quadrants Radiatore Shaped like radiators Radiator Ricciolini Short wide pasta with a 90-degree twist From riccio, curly Ricciutelle Short spiraled pasta From riccio, curly Rotelle Wagon wheel-shaped pasta Little wheels (from ruota-wheel) Rotini 2-edged spiral, tightly wound. Some vendors and brands are 3-edged and sold as rotini Spirali A tube which spirals round Spirals Spiralini More tightly-coiled fusilli Little spirals Strangolapreti Rolled across their width Priest-chokers or priest-stranglers Torchio Torch-shaped Winepress Trofie Thin twisted pasta

Tubular Pasta

NAME DESCRIPTION TRANSLATION Bucatini Hollow spaghetti Little holes Calamarata Wide ring shaped pasta Squid (also known as “calamari”) Calamaretti Smaller Calamarata Cannelloni Large stuffable tubes Big pipes or reeds Cavatappi Corkscrew-shaped macaroni Corkscrews; also known as Cellentani and Spirali Cellentani Corkscrew-shaped tube Chifferi Short and wide macaroni Ditalini Short tubes, like elbows but shorter and without a bend Small fingers Fideua Short and thin tubes Gomito Maccheroni Bent tubes Elbow macaroni Elicoidali Slightly ribbed tube pasta; the ribs are corked as opposed to those on rigatoni Helicoidal Fagioloni Short narrow tube Little beans Garganelli Square egg noodle rolled into a tube Maccheroni As long as a little finger, usually striped Maccheroncelli Hollow pencil-shaped pasta Maltagliati Short wide pasta with diagonally cut ends Roughly cut Manicotti Large ridged tubes that are stuffed Sleeves, from the Italian word manica Mezzani Pasta Short curved tube From Mezzo meaning half-size Mezze Penne Short version of penne Half-pens Mezze Bombardoni Short, wide tubes Half bombards Mostaccioli Sometimes mistakenly used as another name for Penne, Mostaccioli differ in that they do not have ridges. Mostaccioli are also called Penne Lisce or “smooth penne” Mustaches Paccheri Large tube Pasta al Ceppo Shaped like a cinnamon stick Penne Medium length tubes with ridges, cut diagonally at both ends Literally “pens” because the tip is similar to that of a quill, or fountain pen Penne Rigate Penne with ridged sides Penne Lisce Penne with smooth sides Penne Zita Wider version of penne Pennette Short thin version of penne Pennoni Wider version of penne Perciatelli Thicker bucatini From the verb Perciare meaning Hollow inside Rigatoncini Smaller version of rigatoni Rigatoni Large and slightly curved tube From riga, meaning line: rigatoni is pasta with lines (large). Rigato or rigate, when added to another pasta name means lined, or, with ridges added, as in “spaghetti rigati” Sagne Incannulate Long tube formed of twisted ribbon Trenne Penne shaped as a triangle Trennette Smaller version of trenne Tortiglioni Narrower rigatoni From the verb Torcere meaning to twist. Twisted, wringed Tuffoli Ridged rigatoni Ziti Long, narrow hose-like tubes Zitoni Wider version of Ziti

Strand Pasta

NAME DESCRIPTION TRANSLATION Spaghettoni Thick spaghetti Thick little twine Spaghetti Most common round-rod pasta Spago means twine, spaghetto means little twine, spaghetti is plural Spaghettini Thin spaghetti Thin little twine Fedelini Between spaghetti and vermicelli in size Little faithful ones Vermicelloni Thick vermicelli Thick little worms Vermicelli Thicker than capellini, thinner than fedelini Little worms Capellini Thinner than vermicelli, thicker than angel hair Fine hair Capellini dangelo Thinnest round-rod pasta Angel hair

Various Strand Pastas

NAME DESCRIPTION TRANSLATION Barbina Thin strands often coiled into nests Little beards Spaghetti alla Chitarra Similar to spaghetti, except square rather than round, and made of egg in addition to flour Named after the device used to cut the pasta, which has a wooden frame strung with metal wires. Sheets of pasta are pressed down onto the device, and then the wires are “strummed” so that the slivers of pasta fall through Ciriole Thicker version of chitarra Fusilli Lunghi Very long coiled rods (like a thin telephone cord) Long rifles Pici Very thick, long, hand rolled

Ribbon Pasta

NAME DESCRIPTION TRANSLATION Bavette Narrower version of tagliatelle Little thread Bavettine Narrower version of bavette Fettuce Wider version of fettuccine Ribbons Fettuccine Ribbon of pasta approximately 6.5 millimeters wide Little ribbons Fettucelle Narrower version of fettuccine Lagane Wide noodles Lasagne Very wide noodles that often have fluted edges Cooking pot Lasagnette Narrower version of lasagne Lasagnotte Longer version of lasagna Linguettine Narrower version of linguine Linguine Flattened spaghetti Little tongues Mafalde Short rectangular ribbons Mafaldine Long ribbons with ruffled sides Pappardelle Thick flat ribbon Pillus Very thin ribbons Pizzoccheri Ribbon pasta made from buckwheat Reginette Wide ribbon with rippled edges Little queens Sagnarelli Rectangular ribbons with fluted edges Sciatelli of Sciatelli Home-made long spaghetti with a twisted long spiral Stringozzi Similar to shoelaces From stringhe, meaning shoestrings Tagliatelle Ribbon fairly thinner than fettucine From “tagliare” – to cut Taglierini Thinner version of Tagliatelle Trenette Thin ribbon ridged on one side Tripoline Thick ribbon ridged on one side

Micro Pasta

NAME DESCRIPTION TRANSLATION Acini di Pepe Bead-like pasta Peppercorns Anelli Small rings of pasta Rings Anellini Smaller version of Anelli Little rings Conchigliette Small shell shaped pasta Little shells Corallini Small short tubes of pasta Little corals Ditali Small short tubes Thimbles Ditalini Smaller version of Ditali Little thimbles Farfalline Small bow tie shaped pasta Either bowties or little butterflies Fideos Short thin pasta Filini Smaller version of Fideos Thin threads; (from filo, meaning thread) Fregula Bead-like pasta from Sardinia Funghini Small mushroom shaped pasta Little mushrooms Ochi di Pernice Very small rings of pasta Partridges eyes Orzo Rice shaped pasta, also Risoni Barley Pastina Small spheres about the same size or smaller than Acini di Pepe Little pasta Pearl Pasta Spheres slightly larger than Acini di Pepe Quadrettini Small flat squares of pasta Little squares Risi Smaller version of Orzo Little rice Seme di Melone Small seed shaped pasta Melon seeds Stelle Small star-shaped pasta Stars Stelline Smaller version of Stelle Little stars Stortini Smaller version of elbow macaroni Little crooked ones Trachana Granular, irregular shaped pasta of Greek origin

Stuffed Pasta

NAME DESCRIPTION TRANSLATION Agnolotti Semi-circular pockets; can be stuffed with ricotta or mix of cheese and meats or pureed vegetables Lambs ears Cannelloni Oven cooked, stuffed rolls of pasta Big tubes Casoncelli A semi-circular stuffed pasta, specifically associated with the style alla bergamasca, which is stuffed with a mixture of bread crumbs, egg, cheese, ground beef, salami, raisins, Amaretti biscuits, pear, and garlic Fagottini A ‘purse’ or bundle of pasta, made from a round of dough gathered into a ball-shaped bundle, often stuffed with ricotta and fresh pear Little purses Mezzelune Semi-circular pockets; about 2.5 in. diameter Half-moons Occhi di Lupo A large, penne shaped pasta that is stuffed Eyes of the Wolf Panzerotti Pasta made from eggs cheese and flour Pelmeni Meat-filled dumplings, usually served in broth Pierogi Dumplings filled with meat, vegetables, cheese or fruit Ravioli Square. About 3x3cm. Stuffed with cheese, ground meat, pureed vegetables, or mixtures thereof Possibly from rapa, “turnip” Sacchettini Little sacks Tortellini Ring-shaped. Stuffed with a mixture of meat and cheese Tortelloni Larger version of Tortellini

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