List of pasta

Some different colours and shapes of pasta, in a pasta specialty store in Venice

Comparison between different types of long Italian pasta

There are many different varieties of pasta, a staple dish of Italian cuisine.

Some pasta varieties are uniquely regional and not widely known; some types may have different names in different languages, or sometimes in the same language. For example, the cut rotelle is also called ruote in Italy and wagon wheels in the United States. Manufacturers and cooks often invent new shapes of pasta; or may invent new names for old shapes for marketing reasons.

Italian pasta names often end with the masculine plural suffixes -ini, -elli, -illi, -etti or the feminine plurals -ine, -elle etc., all conveying the sense of "little"; or with -oni, -one, meaning "large". Many other suffixes like -otti ("largish") and -acci ("rough", "badly made") may occur, too. In Italian, all pasta type names are plural.

Varieties

Long pasta

Long pasta may be made by extrusion or rolling and cutting.

Image	Type	Description	Translation
	Anelloni	Thick ringed ribbons; designed by physicists at the University of Warwick to study ring-shaped polymers[1]
	Barbina	Thin strands often coiled into nests	Little beards
	Bigoli	Thick tubes, often made of buckwheat or wholewheat flour
	Bucatini	A thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center.	The name comes from Italian: buco, meaning "hole", and Italian: bucato, meaning "pierced".
	Capelli d'angelo	A synonym of capellini, they are coiled into nests	Angel hair
	Capellini	The thinnest type of long pasta	Literally "thin hair" in Italian language
	Fedelini	A very thin spaghetti.[2]	Little faithful ones
	Fusilli	Long, thick, corkscrew-shaped pasta that may be solid or hollow. Hollow fusilli are also called fusilli bucati. Pictured is fusilli in a pesto sauce.	The word fusilli presumably comes from fuso, as traditionally it is "spun" by pressing and rolling a small rod over each thin strips of pasta to wind them around it in a corkscrew shape, much like a modern Turkish spindle. Long rifles.
	Fusilli bucati	Long coiled tubes that are hollow.[3] Also called fusili col buco[4]	Holed rifles
	Maccheroni alla molinara	Very thick, long, fresh hand-pulled pasta. Typical for the Abruzzo region.	The miller’s wife’s pasta
	Matriciani	Similar to perciatelli, but folded over rather than hollowed out
	Perciatelli	Identical to bucatini.	From perciare "to hollow"
	Pici	Very thick, long, hand-rolled pasta. It originates in the province of Siena in Tuscany; in the Montalcino area it is also referred to as pinci.
	Spaghetti	A long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin.[5] Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water.	"Little strings".[6] Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning "thin string" or "twine".[5]
	Spaghettini	Thin spaghetti	Small little twines
	Spaghettoni	A spaghetti that is extra thick or extra long.[7]
	Vermicelli	A traditional pasta round that is thicker than spaghetti. (refers in U.S. to a style thinner than spaghetti)	Worms [6]
	Vermicelloni	Thick vermicelli	Large little worms
	Ziti	Long, narrow hose-like tubes sized smaller than rigatoni but larger than mezzani. The addition of the word rigati (e.g. ziti rigati) denotes lines or ridges on the pasta's surface.	Zito is Italian for "bridegroom". (Ziti is plural).
	Zitoni	Wider version of Ziti	Large ziti

Ribbon-cut pasta

Ribbon style pasta are often rolled flat and then cut. This can be done by hand or mechanically.

Image	Type	Description	Translation
	Bavette	Narrower version of tagliatelle	Little drip-thread
	Bavettine	Narrower version of bavette
	Ciriole	Thicker version of chitarra
	Fettucce	Wider version of fettuccine	Little slices
	Fettuccine	Ribbon of pasta approximately 6.5 millimeters wide	Little slices
	Fettucelle	Narrower version of fettuccine	Little slices
	Lagane [8]	Wide pasta
	Lasagne (Gravagna) [9]	Very wide pasta that often have fluted edges	Cooking pot
	Lasagnette	Narrower version of lasagne	Little lasagne
	Lasagnotte	Longer version of lasagne	Bigger lasagne
	Linguettine	Narrower version of linguine	Little tongues
	Linguine	Flattened spaghetti	Little tongues [6]
	Mafalde	Short rectangular ribbons	Named in honor of Princess Mafalda of Savoy
	Mafaldine	Long ribbons with ruffled sides	Little mafalde
	Pappardelle	Thick flat ribbon
	Pillus	Very thin ribbons
	Pizzoccheri	A type of short tagliatelle, a flat ribbon pasta, made with 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour.
	Sagnarelli	Rectangular ribbons with fluted edges
	Sagnette	Short thick ribbons
	Scialatelli or scialatielli	Homemade long spaghetti with a twisted long spiral
	Spaghetti alla chitarra	Similar to spaghetti, except square rather than round,[10] and made of egg in addition to flour	Named after the guitar-like device used to cut the pasta,[10] 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 the slivers of pasta fall through.
	Stringozzi	Similar to shoelaces	Shoestring-like
	Tagliatelle	Ribbon, generally narrower than fettuccine	From the Italian tagliare, meaning "to cut"
	Taglierini	Thinner version of tagliatelle	From the Italian tagliare, meaning "to cut"
	Testaroli
	Trenette	Thin ribbon ridged on one side
	Tripoline	Thick ribbon ridged on one side

Short-cut extruded pasta

Image	Type	Description	Translation
	Calamarata	Wide ring shaped pasta	Squid-like
	Calamaretti		Little squids
	Cannelloni	Large stuffable cylindrical (tube) pasta, generally served baked with a filling and covered by a sauce.[11]	(Italian: Large reeds)
	Cavatappi	Corkscrew-shaped macaroni	Corkscrews
	Cellentani	See Cavatappi
	Chifferi	Short and wide macaroni
	Ditalini	Short tubes	Small thimbles
	Elicoidali, Tortiglioni	Slightly ribbed tube pasta, the ribs are corked as opposed to those on rigatoni	Helicoidal ones
	Fagioloni	Short narrow tube	Large beans
	Fideuà	Short and thin tubes	Fideuá is not really a type of pasta but is a Spanish dish similar to paella but made with pasta instead of rice.
	Garganelli	Egg pasta in a square shape rolled into a tube
	Gemelli	A single S-shaped strand of pasta twisted in a loose spiral	The name derives from the Italian for twins.
	Girandole	A single S-shaped strand of pasta twisted in a loose spiral. Tighter and smaller than fusilli.	From the italian girare: to turn.
	Macaroni	Bent tubes. May also be straight.[12]	From Greek for food made from barley[13]
	Maccheroncelli	Hollow tube-shaped pasta that is slightly smaller than a pencil in thickness.[14]	Small maccheroni
	Maltagliati	A short and wide egg pasta with irregular or diagonally cut ends, it is available throughout Italy and is prominent in some regional Italian cuisines.[15]	Roughly cut
	Manicotti	Large stuffable ridged tubes
	Marziani	Short spirals	Martians (refers to the antennae of cartoon martians)
	Mezzani pasta	Short curved tube[16][17]	Half-size ones
	Mezze penne	Short version of penne	Half-pens
	Mezzi bombardoni	Wide short tubes	Half bombards
	Mostaccioli	Similar to penne but without ridges. Also called penne lisce or "smooth penne"	Moustache-like things
	Paccheri	Large tube pasta that may be prepared with a sauce atop them or stuffed with ingredients.[18]	"Slaps." The name has been ascribed to a slapping sound they may make when eaten.[18]
	Pasta al ceppo	A sheet pasta that is similar in shape to a cinnamon stick.[19]	Log-type pasta
	Penne	Medium length tubes with ridges, cut diagonally at both ends	Pens (after a quill pen)
	Penne rigate	Penne with ridged sides	Lined pens
	Penne lisce	Penne with smooth sides	Smooth pens
	Penne zita	Wider version of penne
	Pennette	Short thin version of penne	Little pens
	Pennoni	A wider and thicker version of penne.[20] It is a tube pasta with a diagonal cut on both ends.[20]	Pennants [6]
	Rigatoncini	Smaller version of rigatoni	Small large lined ones
	Rigatoni	Medium-Large tube with square-cut ends, sometimes slightly curved	Large lined ones
	Rotini	Related to fusilli, but has a tighter helix, i.e. with a smaller pitch	Helix- or corkscrew-shaped pasta
	Sagne 'ncannulate	Long tube formed of twisted ribbon	Caned lasagne
	Spirali	A tube which spirals round	Spirals
	Spiralini	More tightly coiled fusilli	Little spirals
	Trenne	Penne shaped as a triangle
	Trennette	Smaller version of trenne
	Tortiglioni	Narrower rigatoni	Spirals [6]
	Tuffoli	Ridged rigatoni

Decorative cuts

Image	Type	Description	Translation
	Biciclette	bicycle-shaped pasta	Bicycles
	Cacavelle	Large bowl-like pasta intended for stuffing.	Caravel
	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 a S shape	From casereccio meaning homemade
	Castellane	Shell pasta coiled into a conical shape.	Castellane can be translated as "castle dweller", for the shape of the pasta loosely resembles that of a long, flowing robe.
	Cavatelli	Short, solid lengths	From the verb cavare meaning to hollow
	Cencioni	Petal shaped, slightly curved with rough convex side	Large rags
	Conchiglie	Seashell shaped	Shells [6]
	Conchiglioni	Large, stuffable seashell shaped	Large shells
	Corzetti	Flat figure-eight stamped
	Creste di galli	Short, curved and ruffled	Cock's comb [6]
	Croxetti	Flat coin-shaped discs stamped with coats of arms	Little crosses
	Farfalle	Bow tie or butterfly shaped	"Butterflies" [6]
	Farfalloni	Larger bow ties	Large butterflies
	Fiorentine	Grooved cut tubes	Florentine
	Fiori	Shaped like a flower	Flowers
	Foglie d'ulivo	Shaped like an olive leaf	Olive leaves
	Fusilli Avellinesi	Ribbon rolled around a stick	The word fusilli presumably comes from fuso, as traditionally it is "spun" by pressing and rolling a small rod over each thin strips of pasta to wind them around it in a corkscrew shape, much like a modern Turkish spindle. Long rifles.
	Gigli	Cone or flower shaped	Lilies
	Gnocchi	Lobed shells. Not to be confused with the kind of dumplings also called gnocchi.
	Gramigna	Short curled lengths of pasta	Infesting weed, esp. scutch-grass
	Lanterne	Curved ridges	Lanterns
	Lumache	Snailshell-shaped pieces	Snails [6]
	Lumaconi	Large snailshell-shaped pieces	Large snails
	Maltagliati	Flat roughly cut triangles	Badly cut
	Mandala	Designed by Philippe Starck in 1987 for French pasta maker Panzani, intended to compensate for overcooking.[21]	A reference to mandalas.
	Marille	Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1983 - like a rolling ocean wave in cross-section with internal rugosities, but unsuccessful and no longer produced.[21]	From mare, meaning "sea"
	Orecchiette	Bowl- or ear-shaped pasta	Little ears [6]
	Pipe rigate	Very similar to Lumaconi but has lines running the length of it.	Smoking pipes
	Quadrefiore	Square with rippled edges	From quadro ("square") and fiore ("flower")
	Radiatori	Shaped like radiators, they were created between the First and Second World War.[22] They are often used in similar dishes as rotelle or fusilli, because their shape works well with thicker sauces.[23]	Radiator
	Ricciolini	Short wide pasta with a 90-degree twist	Little curls
	Ricciutelle	Short spiralled pasta	Little curls
	Rotelle	Wagon wheel-shaped pasta	Little wheels. Also called ruote.
	Rotini	2-edged spiral, tightly wound, some vendors and brands are 3-edged and sold as rotini
	Sorprese	Bell shaped pasta with a crease on one side and has a ruffled edge	Surprise
	Sorprese Lisce	Bell shaped pasta with a crease on one side and has a ruffled edge (A larger version of Sorprese)	Smooth surprise
	Strozzapreti	Rolled across their width	Priest-chokers or priest-stranglers
	Torchio	Torch shaped	Winepress
	Trofie[24]	Thin twisted pasta

Miniature pasta

These are small types of pasta.

Image	Type	Description	Translation
	Acini di pepe	Bead-like pasta	Peppercorns
	Alfabeto	Pasta shaped as letters of the alphabet	Alphabet
	Anelli	Small rings of pasta (not to be confused with Calamaretti)	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 versions of ditali	Little thimbles
	Egg barley
	Farfalline	Small bow tie-shaped pasta	Little butterflies ("bow tie" in Italian is cravatta a farfalla, "butterfly tie")
	Fideos [25]	Pasta prepared with eggs, flour and water.[25]
	Filini	Smaller version of fideos, about 12–15 mm long before cooking	Little threads.
	Fregula	Bead-like pasta from Sardinia	Little fragments [26]
	Funghini	Small mushroom-shaped pasta	Little mushrooms
	Grattini	Small granular, irregular shaped pasta (smaller version then Grattoni)	Little Grains
	Grattoni	Large granular, irregular shaped pasta	Grains
	Midolline	Flat teardrop shaped pasta (similar to Orzo but wider)
	Occhi di pernice	Very small rings of pasta	Partridge's eyes
	Orzo (also, risoni)	Rice shaped pasta	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
	Puntine	Smaller version of Risi
	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
	Tripolini	In larger varieties these are sometimes called Farfalle Rotonde. Small bow tie-shaped pasta with rounded edges.

Pasta with filling

Image	Type	Description	Translation
	Agnolotti	Semicircular pockets; can be stuffed with ricotta or mix of cheese and meats or pureed vegetables	Diminutive of old word for "angel"; Agnolotti was Giotto di Bondone's nickname.
	Cannelloni	Rolls of pasta with various fillings, usually cooked in an oven	Big little canes
	Cappelletti	Square of dough, filled with minced meat, and closed to form a triangle	Little caps[27]
	Caramelle	A stuffed pasta resembling double twist candies	Candy
	Casoncelli or casonsèi	A stuffed pasta typical of Lombardy, with various fillings	Possibly from casa "house"
	Casunziei	A stuffed pasta typical of the Veneto area, with various fillings	From casa house
	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 cloth bundles
	Maultasche	A pasta stuffed with meat and spinach common in southern Germany	Mouth pocket[28]
	Mezzelune	Semicircular pockets; about 2.5 in. diameter	Half-moons
	Occhi di lupo	A large, penne-shaped pasta that is stuffed	Ribbed wolf eyes [6]
	Pelmeni	Russian dumplings (of Tatar origin) consisting of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough	Derived from pel'nyan' (пельнянь) – literally "ear bread" in the native Finno-Ugric Komi, Udmurt, and Mansi languages
	Ravioli	Square. About 3x3 cm, stuffed with cheese, ground meat, pureed vegetables, or mixtures thereof	Possibly from rapa, "turnip"
	Sacchettini	Round, similar to fagottini, but also may use ravioli stuffing. A small square of pasta brought around the stuffing and twisted.	Little sacks
	Sacchettoni also Sacchetti	Similar to Sacchetini, but larger.	Large little sacks
	Tortellini	Ring-shaped, stuffed with a mixture of meat and cheese	Little pies
	Tortelloni	Round or rectangular, similar to ravioli, usually stuffed with a mixture of cheese and vegetables (The term tortelloni is also used for a larger variety of tortellini)	Large little pies
	Tufoli	A pasta shell large enough for stuffing (as with meat or cheese). From a southern Italian dialect, plural of tufolo (tube), modification of Latin tubulus (tubule)	Large tube

Irregular shapes

Image	Type	Description	Translation
	Cappelli del prete		Priest's hats [29][30]
	Maltagliati	Irregular shapes of flat pasta formed from scraps of pasta production.
	Passatelli	Formed of bread crumbs, eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, lemon, and nutmeg, and cooked in chicken broth. It is typically found in Pesaro e Urbino (northern Marche) and other regions of northern Italy such as Emilia Romagna [31]
	Spätzle	German egg pasta that is either round in shape, or completely irregular (when hand made)	Means "little sparrow" in Swabian German.

See also

• List of pasta dishes
• Italian cuisine – The cuisine of Italy
• List of Italian dishes
• Ragù – a meat-based sauce in Italian cuisine that is often served with pasta
• List of noodles
• List of noodle dishes
  • List of instant noodle brands
• Semolina – wheat middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta

References

1. "Physicists Invented a Horrible New Pasta Shape, for Science". Gizmodo.com. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
2. Marchetti, Domenica (2011). The Glorious Pasta of Italy. Chronicle Books. p. 122. ISBN 1452106908
3. The Digital Pasta Book 1 / Italian pasta - H.W. Gade - Google Books
4. http://www.foodsubs.com/PastaShapes.html
5. Definition of spaghetti. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. (accessed: June 03, 2008).
6. Why Italians Love to Talk About Food - Elena Kostioukovitch - Google Books
7. Encyclopedia of Pasta - Oretta Zanini De Vita - Google Books
8. Oretta Zanini De Vita (2009). Encyclopedia of Pasta. University of California Press. pp. 145–147. ISBN 978-0-520-25522-7.
9. "Lasagne". Oxford Dictionaries Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
10. 2 Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen - Pino Luongo, Mark Strausman - Google Books
11. Cannelloni Recipes Organization. "Cannelloni Recipes". Retrieved 2012-08-26.
12. "Waitrose Macaroni". waitrose.com. Waitrose. Retrieved 3 Sep 2014.
13. "macaroni". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 3 Sep 2014.
14. Cucina Napoletana - Arturo Iengo - Google Books
15. Making Artisan Pasta: How to Make a World of Handmade pasta, Stuffed Pasta ... - Aliza Green - Google Books
16. Slim and Healthy Italian Cooking - Polvay - Google Books
17. 365 Ways to Cook Pasta: For Every Season, For Every Reason, a Pasta Lover's ... - Marie Simmons - Google Books
18. Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania - Arthur Schwartz - Google Books
19. The Food of Campanile: Recipes from the Famed Los Angeles Restaurant - Mark Peel, Nancy Silverton - Google Books
20. The Florida Keys Cookbook, 2nd: Recipes & Foodways of Paradise - Victoria Shearer - Google Books
21. Joseph Froncioni. "DESIGNERS' PASTA PASTS - Extreme pasta shapes that never made it.".
22. "RADIATORI". The Geometry of Pasta.
23. "The Cook's Thesaurus, Pasta Shapes".
24. Kyle Phillips. "Trofie". About.com.
25. Eat, Drink, Think in Spanish: A Food Lover's English-Spanish/Spanish-English ... - Lourdes Castro - Google Books
26. Paolo Rossi. "The Different Types of Pasta.".
27. "Merriam Webster". http://www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 10 June 2013. External link in |work= (help)
28. "What the heck is a maultaschen and why would I want to make a casserole out of it?". Retrieved 24 March 2012.
29. Encyclopedia of Pasta - Oretta Zanini De Vita - Google Books
30. Bella Tuscany - Frances Mayes - Google Books
31. Maria Pia Hellrigl recipe