A Culinary Journey Through the Diverse World of Italian Pasta

Pasta holds a cherished place in the hearts and kitchens of Italians, serving as a staple of their culinary heritage for centuries. With a rich history dating back to ancient times, there is a dizzying array of pasta shapes, each with its own unique origin, name, and culinary significance. 

Not all pasta is created equal! Each type is meant to be eaten in a particular way, and for every pasta shape and size there is a story of Italian history and regional differences, often even within its name.

What’s in a name?

Often, the names for different pasta types correspond to their shapes. So “spaghetti” comes from an Italian word meaning thin string, while “penne” is derived from the word for quill or pen, as it resembles the nib of a fountain pen. Rigato means “ridged” and thus gives us rigatoni, while fuso is the word for “spinning top” and is the basis of the name for fusilli. You can pay attention to the endings -ini and -oni for variations of a pasta type, with -ini being a smaller version (fusillini) and -oni being a larger size (fusillioni).

A name tells a (funny) story

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There are some truly unusual or amusing names for some Italian pastas. Did you know that linguine literally means “little tongues”? Pappardelle, a favourite in Tuscany, comes from the verb pappare, which means “gobble up” in the local dialect. You might be familiar with orecchiette from Puglia, but did you know it means “little ears,” due to the ear-like shape of this particular pasta? Or that vermicelli means “little worms”? For a more poetic origin story, consider mafaldine pasta, which is said to named after the beautiful hair of Italian princess, Mafalda of Savoy.  

From Emilia-Romagna comes the short twists strozzapreti, which literally means “priest strangler”! Legend has it that priests would try to eat all the pasta, so quickly that they choked when swallowing it. This region also gives us cappelletti, a name derived from “hat” because its shape resembles medieval headgear, and pisarei, a name based on the shape of the pasta which is thought to resemble the small penis of a child.

Tall (and tasty) tales

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When the goddess Venus checked into a room in Emilia, so the story goes, the innkeeper peeked through the keyhole and saw her navel, inspiring him to concoct tortellini, the stuffed pasta which slightly resembles a belly button.

Myths, legends, and anecdotes about pasta stretch back through Italian history, including before Marco Polo, who has mistakenly been credited with bringing pasta to the country from China. While he does mention a tree that grows pasta in his Travels, records of pasta in Italy precede his voyage. And while there is some evidence of pasta being found in the region as early as Roman times, it truly became part of Italian culture in the Middle Ages. Before the 16th century, however, pasta was consumed in a way much different than it is today. Back then, it was cooked for longer, and served in both savory and sweet preparations, and before tomatoes came to Europe it might have been served with pork belly, cow udders, raisins, cinnamon, or fresh cheeses.

Initially, pasta was a dish for the rich. It wasn’t until the late 17th century that it became widely consumed. This is thought to be due to a lack of access to meat, while landowners in Naples and Sicily sold wheat at a much cheaper price. It also suited religious restrictions, which included days when meat was forbidden. Most importantly, machines were created which allowed pasta to be made in great quantities. It wasn’t long until pasta was associated with both rich and poor, with beggars in Naples being known as “macaroni-eaters” at the same time as stories of Naples’ King Ferdinand IV devouring macaroni voraciously.

Pasta as a point of pride

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Today, you can find just about any kind of pasta in every part of Italy, as well as the world. But that doesn’t mean that certain varieties are not intimately connected with a particular region, and that often these local delicacies are points of pride to those who live there.

Not only does a dish’s origins give bragging rights to the area it’s associated with, but often culinary history can be traced through which pasta belongs to where. For example, fregola from Sicily is thought to be inspired by couscous, likely due to its proximity to North Africa. Similarly, Venice is influenced by its northern neighbours Austria and Switzerland, which might account for the popularity of potato gnocchi in this northern region. A grain shortage in the 16th century threatened to spoil carnival celebrations one year, until a local bought enough flour, stretched it out with potatoes, and made the famous gnocchi. Now, the last day of Verona’s carnival is celebrated with a costumed “Father of Gnocchi.”  

Emilia-Romagna is known for tagliatelle, so much so that the sign of perfect dough is that you can see Bologna’s basilica if you hold it up to a window. Paccheri is a wide tube from Campania known for its role during a ban on garlic imports by the king of Prussia in the 17th century—locals smuggled cloves tucked into the pasta to get around the rules. Calabria’s stroncatura was, for many years, a black market pasta. Originally made from sweeping up scraps from the production of other pasta, it was dark in colour, rough in texture, and impossible to regulate. These days, it’s made in more orderly, and sanitary, conditions. Gigli is the word for “lilies,” and appropriately is associated with Florence, where this is a local emblem, and the hearty pappardelle ragus famous in Tuscany are entwined with its history of peasants foraging the rolling hills for mushrooms and wild game.  

Even within each region, individual families will have their own treasured recipes that have been inherited and jealously guarded for generations. The influence of pasta on an individual, family, regional, and national level is expressed in so many ways. For example, it is said that in Piacenza, a mother would check the right thumb of her son’s future bride for calluses, a sign that she was in the habit of making pisarei.

Pairing shapes and sauces

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Authentic Italian dishes would never combine any shape of pasta with any sauce, even though this is common in other parts of the world. The country’s long history and time-tested family recipes means they really know which type of sauce works with every particular pasta. There are a few rules of thumb to help you experience each piece of pasta at its fullest potential. 

• Long, thin pasta such as spaghetti, linguine, and vermicelli should be served with cream or oil sauces, or light seafood sauces
• Long ribbon shapes such as fettuccine, tagliatelle, and pappardelle pair best with hearty, meaty sauces
• Tubular pastas including rigatoni, penne, and macaroni should be served with rich vegetable sauces
• Twisted shapes such as those found in gemelli, fusilli, and strozzapreti go well with light sauces that can stick in the pasta coils
•  Filled pastas such as ravioli, tortellini, and cappelletti should be served with only a light butter or oil so as to not outshine the flavour of the filling

Italian culture in every bite

In Italy, pasta is not merely a meal but a cultural experience, steeped in tradition and regional identity. Whether enjoyed in a cozy trattoria or crafted with love in a family kitchen, each pasta shape tells a story of craftsmanship, heritage, and culinary ingenuity.

Come away with us on a culinary journey to get to know a region and its specialties up close from the people who live there. You’ll taste homemade pastas that are served with local stories, and even learn the art of pasta-making in cooking classes.  

Buon appetito!