Kinds of Pasta

Types of Pasta 

Dried pasta:

There are around 350 different types and flavors of dried pasta in Italy, even more counting regional differences. Shapes range from simple tubes to bow ties (farfalle, which actually means "butterfly"), to unique shapes like tennis rackets (racchette). Many, but not all of these types are normally available when the pasta is done. Italian law dried pasta must be made with 100% durum semolina flour and water, a practice that all but the worst quality pasta makers worldwide have since adhered to. But there are two factors in dried pasta from Italy that make it typically is better than most other products: extrusion and drying methods.

Dried pasta, especially the more complex forms (such as radiators) is designed for grabbing and stick sauces. Dried tube pasta (ziti or penne) often has the Board or small abrasions on the surface to keep the pasta sauce also. These ridges and bumps are created during the extrusion process, when the paste is forced from a copper mold and cut to desired length before drying. These molds, while expensive and prone to wear is preferable to make the best dried pasta. But most producers around the world use steel molds that produce pasta that is too smooth to hold in sauce. Fortunately more pasta makers outside of Italy have begun to use the older style copper molds.

When the pasta is cut it must be dried using a process with specific temperature and time. This is another area where mass produced pasta falls short of good Italian pasta made the right way. The mass produced pastas dried at high temperatures for a shorter time than quality pasta. Traditional pasta is allowed to dry slower, up to 50 hours at a much lower temperature. It is after the pasta is completely dry, it was packed. The result is a product with a much better mouth-feel, quicker cooking time, and superior holding sauce noodles.

Fresh pasta:

Virtually all pasta starts out as fresh pasta, but some are made to be eaten soft. Fresh pasta can be made with slightly different ingredients than the dried variety. Many regions in northern Italy to use all the flour and eggs while southern Italy usually makes their, from meal and water, but it depends on the recipe. Serving pasta is made fresh that day shows a great care in preparation and a high degree of pride in the household culinary skills. However fresh pasta is not in itself better than dried pasta, it's just different and used in different situations. Some types of pasta are served only fresh, others only dried and some others can have fresh and dried versions. It is in this case, it could be argued that fresh is better than dried pasta. Fresh pasta has been made in households throughout Italy for generations but Emilia-Romagna region has a reputation for doing the best. Here fresh pasta is often served with cream sauce or a simple sauce of butter and sage while light tomato sauces are reserved for summer months. Following the simple but important rule of using local raw materials, serving the Piedmont of their fresh pasta with butter sauce covered with slices of decadent local black truffles. Wherever you are in Italy, served fresh homemade pasta is a real treat, as you can be assured that the pasta was made that day and will have a taste that will make you rethink notions of what good pasta.

LongForm Pasta (Pasta Beach):

The long shape pasta is thin, long and cylindrical, something that you can twist around your fork. Available in different widths, ranging from the thinnest angel hair plumpest bucatin, it may be round or flat, solid or hollow. Ribbon pasta, a subcategory of long pasta shape, can be characterized by flat pieces.

Short Form Pasta:

In contrast to line pasta, short pasta shape is small in size. It can be sub-categorized in tubular pasta, shaped pasta and stuffed pasta. Tubular pasta can be of any size or ridged, straight-cut or cut diagonally in half. The twisted or curled varieties of pasta are included in the shaped pasta. Stuffed pasta, as the name suggests, is hollow and stuffed inside

Various types of pasta:

Acoma Pepe (small pearl-shaped pasta) 

Bucatini (thick, hollow straws of pasta) 

Bumbola (bee-shaped pasta) 

Cannelloni (meat-filled tubes of pasta) 

Capelli D'Angelo (Angel Hair Pasta - thinnest long shape pasta) 

Capellini (very thin, round pasta strands) 

Conchiglie (seashell-shaped pasta) 

Cavatappi (tubular, corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta) 

Cresti di Gallo (curved-shape pasta, brown in color) 

Ditali / ditalini (Short pasta tubes, resembling macaroni) 

Farfalle (medium-size pasta, with crimped Center & pinked edges; butterfly shape) 

Fettuccine (flat, wide pasta strands) 

Fusilli (hollow corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta) 

Gemelli (sized pasta, as two short pieces of tubular spaghetti twisted together) 

Gnocchi (small dumplings made from potatoes, flour or semolina) 

I gomiti (short and curved, tubular pasta with a semi-circle shape) 

Lasagna (ripple-edged strips of 2-1/4-inches wide and 10-inches long) 

Linguine (narrow, flat pasta) 

Lumache (snail-shaped pasta shells) 

Lumaconi (large pasta shells, often used for fillings) 

Mostaccioli (diagonally cut tubular pasta) 

Macaroni (long or short cut, paste tube) 

Orecchiette (small, ear-shaped pasta) 

Orzo (pasta usually used in soups) 

Penne rigate (diagonally cut tubular pasta with a ridged surface) 

P (fat hollow strands) 

Perciatelli (fat, hollow pasta strands) 

Radiators (short, chunky, ruffled-shaped pasta) 

Ricciolini (two-inch strip of pasta, gently twist) 

Rotelle (corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta) 

Rravioli (pasta pillows filled with meat or spinach) 

Rigatoni (large, ribbed pipes) 

Rotini (corkscrew or spiral shaped pasta, about 1-1/2-inches long) 

Spaghetti (round thin pasta strands) 

Tagliatelle (thin strips of ribbon pasta) 

Tortellini (little pasta 'hats' with meat filling) 

Trenette (long, narrow strips of pasta) 

Vermicelli (thin, round pasta Actions - thinner than spaghetti) 

Ziti riigati (sized tubular pasta, slightly curved)