BRO_PastaLove_1025.jpg

Pasta: A Love Story

Exploring The Shapes And Stories Behind One Of The World’s Favorite Foods

by

Long, short, wavy, straight, tubular, twisted, bent or bow tie, there’s plenty of pasta to love. There are more than 350 different pasta shapes in Italy alone, each with its unique texture and tradition. Of course, pasta is much more than just a bowl of noodles. It has its own history, meaning and power, evoking sense memories of divine dishes that linger throughout the years. Ask anyone about their favorite pasta, and they’ll have an instant answer — and probably a dreamy smile on their face. We're talking about a crave-worthy comfort food that sees us through the darkest hours and celebrates with us on festive days. So, what makes it so special?

Maybe it’s best to ask an Italian. Davide Porcaccio, executive chef at Miami’s Dōma, says, “When you think of pasta, you think of family, of sharing, of the love of our mothers and grandmothers who prepared it with so much love.” Pasta is a symbol of Italian heritage and tradition. “It’s more than food — it’s a part of daily life, family and national pride.”

The pasta origin story is shrouded in mystery. One theory credits Marco Polo with returning from China with noodles in the 13th century, but there’s evidence of pasta-making tools depicted in Etruscan tomb reliefs dating as far back as the 4th century B.C., and ancient Greeks enjoyed a flattened dough called laganon that may have been a precursor to lasagna. Regardless of its birthplace, there’s no doubt that pasta grew to its fullest expression in Italy. The country’s 20 regions retain longstanding pasta traditions that predate Italy’s 1861 unification. “Each region in Italy has its unique history, climate and ingredients,” Porcaccio explains. “The pasta shapes and sauces developed in each area tell the story of that region’s culture, lifestyle and resources.” 

Mechanization ushered in a new era of factory-made pasta in the 19th century. Italy’s industrial pasta pioneers included Filippo De Cecco and Riccardo Barilla, names familiar to anyone who has browsed a supermarket shelf. Pasta dough can be rolled into flat sheets (as in lasagna) or extruded through a die (as in macaroni and penne), and bronze dies produce a surface texture that’s especially good for grabbing sauce. In America, Thomas Jefferson was an early adopter of pasta-making technology. He managed to procure a pasta machine from Naples and had it shipped to Monticello, his Virginia estate, where a macaroni and cheese recipe written in his hand still exists. 

As a vehicle for holding and transporting sauce, some pasta shapes work better than others. Is the sauce thick, thin or chunky? The noodle's form and function are bound together in a delicate — and delicious — balance. That perfect bite is a work of art. 

Here’s a small taste of Italy’s pasta shapes, both familiar and fanciful.

Bucatini

Popular in Lazio and shaped like a hollow spaghetti, the name for this sturdy choice for bold sauces and robust ingredients derives from the Italian buco, meaning "hole." One popular Roman recipe is bucatini all’amatriciana, made with pecorino cheese, tomato and guanciale. Legend has it that the dish was invented by shepherds who needed a quick and hearty meal to eat as they traveled with their flocks.

Conchiglie

Shaped like a conch shell, these come in small (conchigliette) and large (conchiglioni) sizes, making them versatile options for soups and pasta salads or stuffed and baked recipes.

Farfalle

The Italian word farfalle translates to “butterflies,” but this shape is also known as bow tie pasta. Its roots lie in Northern Italy, with records dating back to 16th-century Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. The playful shape is especially popular with kids, and it’s often combined with creamy sauces. A smaller, rounded variation is called farfalline.

Gemelli

Named using the Italian term for “twins,” these twisty tidbits may look like dual strands, but they are actually created from a single spiral of pasta. Fantasy fans also compare the shape to a unicorn’s horn.

Gnocchi

This dumpling-like delicacy is made with potatoes, eggs and flour, so it has a dense texture unlike most pastas. Traditionally made by hand, the name gnocchi derives from the Italian word for knuckle (nocca). Gnocchi are especially associated with the Veneto region (in northeastern Italy), where potato crops thrive, but they are popular throughout Italy. Trieste’s gnocchi alla triestina includes prunes, cinnamon and sugar, while Rome’s gnocchi alla romana features a cheesy butter sauce.

Macaroni

The name of this pasta may derive from the Greek makaria, describing a barley flour-based food. Often shaped into a semicircular elbow, macaroni pairs with cheese for the family-favorite dish and its infinite variations, including India’s masala macaroni.

Orecchiette

These cup-shaped morsels take their name from the Italian for “little ears.” Especially popular in the southeastern region of Puglia, where they were recorded in the 12th and 13th centuries, they’re often mixed with turnip greens. In “Cooking alla Guidia: A Celebration of the Jewish Food of Italy,” author Benedetta Jasmine Guetta says Jews brought orecchiette to Puglia from Provence, France.

Pappardelle

Inspired by the word pappare, which translates as “to gobble up,” these hearty ribbons are popular in Tuscany and are traditionally combined with a game meat (wild boar or rabbit, for example) and mushroom sauce. 

Spaghetti

A classic combo with meatballs or mixed with a hearty Bolognese sauce, the name means “little string” in Italian, and records trace it to 12th-century Sicily. Spaghetti alla chitarra, a square-edged variation from the Abruzzo region in central Italy, is created by passing the dough through a wooden frame strung with wires resembling the strings of a guitar (chitarra in Italian). In Lazio, spaghetti carbonara is a local favorite.

Strozzapreti

One story behind the colorfully named “priest stranglers,” originating in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, involves a gluttonous cleric who gobbled the pasta with unbridled enthusiasm and unfortunate consequences.

Tagliatelle

These hearty ribbons are associated with Emilia-Romagna. Made with egg, tagliatelle is wider than fettuccine, and its name comes from the Italian tagliare, meaning “to cut.” Try it with truffle sauce for a heavenly combination.

Tortellini

Claimed by both the cities of Bologna and Modena in Emilia-Romagna, tortellini’s origin is linked to the tale of an innkeeper who peeped through a keyhole and caught a secret glimpse of the Roman goddess Venus, whereupon he invented a navel-inspired pasta. Stuffed with cheese, meat or vegetables, these ring-shaped pillows can be served with sauce or in broth, the latter an Italian Christmas Eve tradition. Tortelloni is the supersized version.

Trofie

Popular in Liguria (in northwestern Italy), this short, twisted and pointy pasta shape pairs beautifully with pesto, a specialty of Genoa, the region’s capital. In the wintertime, trofie made with chestnut flour is a local tradition.

Ziti

Popular in Naples and Sicily, ziti is named after zita, the word for “bride,” and it’s traditionally served at weddings. The short tubes can be baked in casseroles with cheese and other flavorful ingredients.

The Next Frontier: 3-D-printed dry pasta

Launched in 2019, Barilla’s Artisia line harnesses the boundless creative potential of 3-D printing to produce flowers, hearts, pinwheels, stars, baskets, bunnies and beyond, including custom creations in an array of sizes, colors and flavors. 

Davide Porcaccio, executive chef at Miami’s Dōma, shares a recipe fresh from the restaurant’s menu. “Each type of pasta tells a story, and every chef tells a new one every day,” he says. “This is a very easy recipe that combines Northern and Southern Italy, land and sea.”

Spaghetti Alle Chitarra Vongole E Porcini

(Serves 4)

• 1 pound dry spaghetti 

• 1½ pounds (25-30 small) Manila clams, washed and dried

• 1 cup frozen porcini mushrooms

• 1/3 cup fresh parsley 

• ½ cup breadcrumbs

• 4 cloves garlic 

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon salt (for the boiling water)

• basil, for garnish

Sauté a clove of garlic in oil and then add the clams with a little water. Once the clams open, remove them from the broth and set aside. Strain the remaining broth through a fine sieve.

In a separate pan, fry 1 garlic clove and add mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to release liquid (approximately 10 minutes), blend them and add salt and pepper to taste.

For garlic-flavored, crunchy bread: Place breadcrumbs in a baking dish with 2 garlic cloves, salt, pepper and a sprig of parsley. Bake for 5 minutes at 375 degrees until fragrant and crunchy.

For pasta: Bring water to a boil in a pot and add salt. Add pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions indicate. Drain and transfer it directly to the pan with the clam broth to finish cooking. As it simmers, the pasta will release starch, helping the broth thicken and coat the noodles. Stir the pasta to avoid sticking or breaking. 

Turn the heat off and add a little olive oil, chopped parsley and the opened clams. Mix together and add salt or chili pepper to taste. Place the spaghetti on plates and spoon the porcini mushroom cream on top, with a sprinkling of the flavored breadcrumbs. Garnish with basil leaves.