Pasta Guide

Macaroni:

A round hollow or pierced pasta product. Almost 20 sizes of hollow pasta are manufactured with some cut long like spaghetti, but most are cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces or into cooking sizes. Some are curved, like elbow macaroni, some have ridges like rigatoni, and some come large enough to stuff like the SHELL and TUFOLI. PERCIATELLI, MACARONI, and ZITA are long and hollow and vary in size.

COCHIGLIE: "Conch Shells" are shaped like seashells in varied sizes; good for salads, baking dishes and stuffing.

DITALI and DITALINI: "Thimbles," cut in very short lengths and good for salads

ELBOW MACARONI: Are semi-circles made of hollow tubular pasta in many sizes, from spaghetti size to 1/2 inch around.

ELENA: A narrow rippled macaroni named after an Italian queen, and can be substituted for lasagna.

MANICOTTI: "Small muff," a tube 4 inches long and 1 inch in diameter with ends cut diagonally and is stuffed.

MOSTACCIOLI: "Small mustaches," 2-inch long hollow pasta tubes, either smooth or ridged, and used in baked dishes.

RIGATONI: Large groved hollow pasta tubes, used either with sauce or in a baking dish, substituting for mostaccioli.

Spaghetti:

"A length of cord or string" is a solid round rod and the most famous pasta of all and generally made long. Sizes run from "fine as a hair" to slightly oversized. The finest, CAPELLINI, VERMECELLI and SPAGHETTI. The largest, VERMECELLI, comes in folded form too and is popular in soups.

FUSILLI: "Twists," spaghetti twisted in a corkscrew hairpin, also in a large spiral.

ROTE: Shaped like wheels.

LASAGNA: Latin, "lasanum" meaning "pot" a very wide spaghetti used in baked dishes.

LINGUINE: "Small tongue," a spaghetti but flatish or oval like narrow thick noodles.

Noodles:

A flat dough made in long rods, folded form, loosely bent or curled and in other shapes and sizes, available in widths from 1/8 inch to over 1 inch. The width has a bearing on texture and flavor on the cooked pasta. Some noodles are made with a plain pasta dough, but most are made with eggs which give it a definite flavor.

TRENETTINE: Is a fine noodle, with FETTUCCELLI, then FETTUCCINE, and LASAGNA the largest.

CAVATELLI: Is a short curled noodle, similar to shell but thinner. FARFALLE: "Butterflies" or "bowties" are usually made of eggs. MARGHERITA: A long narrow noodle and rippled on one side. PASTA VERDI: A green noodle, usually flavored with herbs or spinach. RAVIOLI: Cut into squares and stuffed with cheese and meat filling. Always homemade.

TAGLIATELLE: A very wide noodle which when cooked, can be used a TORTELLINI dough.

TORTELLINI: "Small twists," usually homemade and stuffed.

Soup Macs:

A large variety of tiny macaroni and noodles used in soups, chicken broth, minestrone and even used as baby food.