As one digs through various sources for just how many pasta shapes are in existence, it quickly becomes clear that this number could easily rank close to 1,000 when different cultures with variations incorporating enriched flour, rice, gluten-free ingredients, wheat grains, etc. are considered.
In Italy, specifically, the count sits around 350, with each and every featuring unique contours, ridges, diameters and lengths-characteristics that lend themselves to precise sauce applications, all enjoyed by pasta lovers hailing from various corners from the flavor and texture spectrum.
Even more than sauce, it’s pasta which is inextricably linked to Italy. Made out of simple, humble ingredients-typically flour, eggs, salt and water-the outcome is pure food alchemy. Those four components combine efforts to spin golden bands and bits that act as the muse for the dizzying quantity of meals, carrying the body weight of sauces, meats, and cheeses, sometimes all at once.
How pasta first arrived at this culinary epicenter and its many regions will be the subject of endless debate, with many recalling the grade school lesson involving Marco Polo and his travels for the Distance. That tale states the famed explorer took noodles back home to Venice following a harrowing trip to China, and the newfangled food became extremely popular, sweeping across Italy. This adequately could be true, but other theories posit that pasta was in and around the country some time before Polo’s voyage east.
Classifying Pasta
The roughly 350 various kinds of pasta may be broadly sorted into four categories:
Long: Tagliatelle, linguine, angel hair, fettuccine, capellini, etc.
Short: Cavatappi, conchiglie, festoni, farfalle, fusilli, gnocchi, etc.
Soup: Anelli, ditali, orzo, etc.
Stuffed: Cannelloni, angoletti, ravioli, tortellini, sacchetti, etc.
Some pasta shapes might be sorted into multiple categories, and variations in shapes and regional practices mean there’s plenty of overlap. Really, these pasta shapes exist given that they elevate individual sauces and dishes with their unique textures. In Italian cooking, that the pasta holds the sauce is crucial. A thick, flavorful sauce uses a pasta that’s in the same way robust, with deep grooves for holding the sauce. A far more delicate sauce pairs well having a thin, ribbon-like pasta.
It’s not merely texture – flavors have to be considered in choosing the correct pasta. A chef will invariably consider the way a sauce will “cling” towards the pasta, along with the dish all together. Soup and stuffed dishes demand specific varieties of pasta, nevertheless, there are several options in those categories.
Holy Pasta – Manifesto Market Andel
Ordering from Holy Pasta is similar to joining a live cooking show. Choose from 3 pasta types, 7 toppings, and 16 unique sauces, watching it being prepared fresh, looking at your vision. These dishes are crafted experiences and a hallmark to Italian cuisine’s quality and creativity. Making the very best of four food categories to select from (meat, vegetarian, fish, and fitness), and ensuring there will be something for everyone’s taste.
More info about authentic italian pasta view our website