Only 2 ingredients and more than 300 shapes

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Today, there are more than 300 types of pasta available in Italy. They are classified

as: dry or fresh; hollow or filled; long or short; smooth or ridged. Italy’s many

different pasta types are distinguished by their shape and their type of dough,

surface texture and filling, when present. This variety of types highlights the richness

of Italian culinary heritage, which brings together history, innovation, tradition and

creativity in one of the world's most-loved foods. The many different shapes are not

just the result of vivid imaginations; they actually have very different tastes,

consistencies and are paired with very specific types of sauces.

 

Pasta falls into two basic categories based on shape:

 

Long pasta

• wide (e.g., lasagne, reginette and pappardelle);

• narrow (e.g., capellini, tagliolini and fettuccine);

• rectangular or flat (e.g., trenette and linguine);

• round (e.g., spaghetti and vermicelli);

• tubular (e.g., bucatini).

• Short pasta

• Small or soup pasta (e.g., quadrucci, stelline and ditalini);

• Medium (e.g., conchiglie and orecchiette);

• Large (e.g., rigatoni and fusilli);

• Filled (e.g., ravioli and agnolotti);

• Decorative (with unusual shapes).