There are many types of pasta in Italy. But which are the most famous? What is their history and what is the perfect sauce for each? Read on and find out why they were chosen by FiorFiore. We hope you enjoy it and buon appetito!

 

CASERECCE

Casarecce are originally from Sicily. They got their name because they are rooted in home-style peasant cooking. “Casa” is the Italian word for house and the root of this pasta’s name. They are a smooth, unridged pasta that rolls into itself and is curved at the edges, so that the sauce perfectly clings to it.

TRIVIA 

The ancestor of casarecce is the older busiata pasta, which originated in the Arab world; its dough is rolled several times into itself around the stem of a very thin plant named “bus.” 

THE PERFECT COMBINATION

You can’t beat eating them with sautéed vegetables, in line with their Mediterranean origins.

 

FARFALLE

A children’s favourite: soft on the outside, crunchy in the centre and with a fun, butterfly shape. They originated in the regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna in the sixteenth century.

TRIVIA 

In the region of Emilia, farfalle — the Italian word for butterflies — are called strichetti because they were originally produced using scraps left over when preparing capelletti, a type of stuffed pasta. Housewives prepared more dough and the leftovers were cut into squares and pinched in the centre, creating a butterfly-shaped pasta. In dialect, stichèr means “to pinch,” and that is where strichetti got their name.

THE PERFECT COMBINATION

Farfalle are perfect with delicate flavours. They are unbeatable with Fiorfiore tomato and ricotta sauce.

 

SARDINIAN GNOCCHI

Made in the shape of small shells, they are ridged so that sauces will cling to them. Originally from Sardinia, they are called malloreddus in local dialect, which comes from the Sardinian word “malloru”, which means “bull.” The plural, malloreddus, means calves because they resemble the shape of young potbellied calves.  

TRIVIA 

Malloreddus have always been a dish for special occasions. Sardinian housewives prepared them for weddings, parties and country festivals.

THE PERFECT COMBINATION

In Sardinia, they are served with a sauce made from Sardinian sausage, onions, tomatoes, saffron and pecorino cheese.