Pondering Pasta

Pasta is the Italian word for paste.

All pasta is made from a dough of grain
flour mixed with water. That's the easy part...


The hard part is making it from scratch, or trying to remember
all the different names and uses of each unique pasta shape:
flat, smooth, solid, hollow, twisted, curved, ridged...

The shape of the pasta determines the Italian name of the pasta:

acini de pepe = little peppercorns
anelini = little rings
cannelloni = little tubes
capellini = fine hairs
conchiglie = shells
farfalle = butterflies
fettucine = small ribbons
fusilli = little spindles
gigli = lilies
lasagna = pot
linguini = little tongues
manicotti = pipes
mostaccioli = little mustaches
orecchiette = little ears
orzo = rice shape
penne = quills
quadretti = little squares
ricciolini = llittle turnips
rigatoni = striped furrows
spaghetti = strings
stelline = baby stars...
tortellini = little fritters
vermicelli = little worms

If your a pasta pro, try this Pasta Identification Quiz.
(If you need to study first, go here.)
(I only got 8 right my first try.)