Yashika Goel
Pasta is available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colours. Do you know that there are up to 600 different types of pasta? shocking, huh? It would take about two years to try every item on the list if you planned to do it every day.
Pasta may be used for a variety of meals thanks to its adaptable shapes and sizes. For instance, some forms are better at holding sauces than others. According to some cooks, thin varieties of pasta, like angel hair, should be served with light sauces, but creamy or rich sauces pair well with heavier and thicker varieties.
Let’s make an effort to learn at least a few new pasta varieties on World Pasta Day in addition to our usual spaghetti, penne, and fusilli.
Here are six of them!
1. Stringozzi Pasta
It is thought that the Italian village of Stringozzi is where the Stringozzi pasta first appeared. It is a semolina-based pasta that is thick and chewy. It is frequently used in filling soups and stews. One of the more well-known pasta variants produced in the Umbria region is this wheat pasta, also referred to as strangozzi. The long, hand-made rectangle-shaped noodles are frequently prepared with a tomato-based sauce, a beef ragu, or the region’s black truffles. Parmesan cheese is frequently added to it when served.
2. Cavatelli Pasta
Wheat flour and water are used to make this Italian pasta. A die extrudes the dough to create tiny, hollow tubes. The shape is remarkably similar to small hot dog buns. Traditionally, a little wooden instrument called a cavatelli is used to make it by hand. Typically, a sauce consisting of tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil is served with this wheat pasta. It can, however, be prepared with a cream or meat sauce.
3. Corzetti Pasta
The Italian area of Liguria is where this type of pasta was first produced. A thin sheet of pasta dough is rolled out and stamped with a distinctive wooden stamp to create it. After being divided into tiny circles, the dough is usually cooked in salt water. Corzetti pasta can be eaten with meat or vegetables in addition to a sauce or pesto.
4. Rotelle Pasta
Ruote pasta and the pasta known as Rotelli both have a wheel shape. It gives soups, salads, and a variety of other dishes a decorative flair. Meat, cream, and seafood sauces can easily be absorbed by the wheel spokes. Water, salt, and durum wheat flour make up the basic ingredients. The dough is chopped into little pieces after being extruded via a die.
5. Tortellini Pasta
The most popular stuffed/filled pasta varieties are ravioli and tortellini. The latter is distinctive in both size and shape. Sometimes the tortellini’s ring or navel form makes them look like tiny croissants or even wontons. It is a sort of pasta that comes in a variety of fillings and has its roots in the Emilia region of Italy. Although there are many varieties, the most typical filling is a combination of meat, cheese, and vegetables. The ring-shaped pasta was also filled with meats like prosciutto, mortadella, and pork loin by Italian cooks.
6. Pappardelle Pasta
Wide, flat pasta known as pappardelle is an Italian delicacy that comes from the Tuscany region. The Italian term pappare, which means to swallow up or devour, is the source of this pasta’s name. It is frequently used in foods with hearty, thick sauces and is normally produced from egg and flour. These are extremely flat, broad pasta shapes that resemble fettuccine. While fresh versions of egg pappardelle are typically two to three centimetres (3/4 to 1 inch) wide and have fluted edges, dried egg pappardelle has straight sides.
Which will you try first, then?
