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Volume III
February 18, 2011


Weekly Home / Cook'n & Eat'n

Do You Know Your

Pasta Shapes?

By Alice Osborne
Don't know an orecchiette from a fusilli? Test your smarts with photos that challenge your culinary know-how. It's time to play... NAME THAT PASTA!

Take a look at the photo above. Which pasta is pictured? Is it wagon wheels or pionero pasta?

That was wagon wheels (also known as rotelle or ruote)! Pionero is not a pasta at all, but rather a word I made up. Sounds like an Italian pasta, though, doesn't it?

Take a look at this photo. Is it shell pasta or orecchiette?

Were you listening intently with your little ears during Italian language class? That was orecchiette! (The Italian words for "little ears"). Orecchiette kind of looks like shell pasta but shell pasta is often larger, with a deeper indentation that allows its sides to curl inward like a shell.

Take a look at this photo. Is it rotini or fusilli?

That was a toughie. And that was fusilli. Rotini and fusilli are spiral in shape but fusilli is a bit longer, while rotini is a bit flatter with a tighter twist. Both are delicious!

Take a look at this photo. Is it radiatore or ravioli?

That pasta that resembles a radiator is radiatore. Stuffed pasta pouches filled with meat or cheese are the treats we call "ravioli".

Take a look at this photo. Is this campanelle or pappardelle?

That was pappardelle, a thicker version of fettuccine (ribbon-like pasta) that pairs nicely with thick sauces. Pappardelle gets its name from the Italian word "pappare". Translation? Gobble up!

How about this photo? Which pasta is that? Is it bucatini or tubini?

That was bucatini. Like spaghetti, but hollow in the middle, bucatini pairs well with just about any sauce. You can also use in it casseroles and stir-fries. Tubini is also hollow-centered, but shorter and thicker in diameter than bucatini.

And this photo? Is it rigatoni or riccioli?

That was rigatoni, the large, ridged, tube-shaped pasta that's bigger than penne and doesn't end at an angled cut. Riccioli ("curl" in Italian) is hollow in the middle, like rigatoni, but it's twisted/curled in shape.

And now a toughie. Is this acini di Pepe or Pepe le Pew?

OK, so this wasn’t so tough — Pepe le Pew is the perpetually lovestruck skunk in the Looney Tunes cast — we all know that. Acini di Pepe ("Peppercorn") is an elegant and tasty addition to soups.

OK, last question. Take a look at this photo above. Is it macaroni or elbow pasta?

Nope, it's not called "Kraft dinner" and, yep, that was a trick question because elbow and macaroni are the same thing. So if you answered either, right you are! Now, did you know that the Canadian Pasta Makers Association estimates that there are more than 600 pasta shapes worldwide? I think I’m good to remember just these few here!




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