List of Pasta Shapes

Pasta - a staple of Italian cuisine and a favorite around the world. With its rich history and diverse shapes, it's no wonder that there are over 350 different types of pasta, each with its own unique characteristics and uses. But did you know that the name of the pasta shape can vary depending on the region or language? In Italy, for example, names can change depending on where you are in the country.

One of the most well-known shapes is spaghetti, but there are many other types to explore. For example, ditalini rigati were also known as garibaldini, a tribute to Garibaldi, while mafalde and mafaldine were named after Princess Mafalda of Savoy. Other examples include linguine, bavette, and trenette.

Long pasta can be further divided into cylindrical, either solid or hollow, and rectangular or rounded. The easiest way to categorize pasta is into long, short, and soup shapes. Many regions have created their own unique pasta shapes, such as bigoli from Veneto, strozzapreti from Emilia-Romagna, trofie from Liguria, and orecchiette from Puglia.

According to Academia Barilla's 'I love pasta' recipe book, gnocchi is the forefather of all pasta. It evolved into other shapes by manipulating the dough by hand or using simple tools, mixing wheat and water to produce local variations. Pasta shapes are specifically designed to hold the sauce in the best way possible.

For example, spaghettini (smallest), spaghetti (regular), and spaghettoni (largest) are all designed for specific sauces. Pasta ending in 'ini' may be a smaller version of a particular shape, while pasta ending in 'oni' is often larger. In Italian, all pasta type names are plural.

Other suffixes exist too: -otti ('largish') and -acci ('rough', 'badly made'). Italian pasta names often end with the masculine plural suffixes –ini, -elli, -illi, -etti or the feminine plurals -ine, -elle, to convey the sense of 'little' or with -oni, -one, meaning 'large'.

In addition, pasta manufacturers and cooks may come up with new shapes or give new names to old shapes...the possibilities thus become endless! It is estimated that there are approximately 350 different types of pasta - and about four times that many names for them. This is due to the fact that some types may have different names in different languages, or even in the same language.

Whether you're a foodie or just looking to try something new, exploring the world of pasta shapes is a fun and delicious adventure. So next time you sit down to a plate of spaghetti, remember the rich history and diverse shapes behind it. And who knows? You might just discover your new favorite pasta shape!

List of pasta shapes