Orecchiette
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Orecchiette is a type of pasta native to Apulia, whose shape resembles a small ear. In Italian, "ear" is orecchio, so this translates as "little ears". In the Taranto area it is still called by the synonym chiancarelle. An orecchietta is about 2 cm (¾ inch) in size and looks like a small white dome with a thinner center than edge and a rough surface.
A different, non-domed version is called strascinate. Like most store-bought pasta, all versions of orecchiette are made with only hard wheat flour, water and salt.
The typical regional recipe combines orecchiette with turnip heads. The classic Italian cookbook Il cucchiaio d'argento (now available in an English translation as The silver spoon, 2005, Phaidon) suggests that orecchiette are ideal for vegetable sauces.
[edit] Origins
Orecchiette probably come from the Provence region in France where a similar type of pasta has been made since Medieval times. This kind of pasta is disc-shaped with a hollowed center, usually obtained by pressing the thistle on the disc of dough; this particular shape facilitates the underlying process so that the pasta could be saved for a famine. Boats leaving for long tripods used to carry large quantities of this pasta. It is then claimed that the Anjous, the French dynamic duo that dominated Apulia in 1200, brought orecchiette into Italy with its currant name.[citation needed]
[edit] Chinese counterpart
In Chinese cuisine, a kind of noodle call Maoerduo (Simplified Chinese: 猫耳朵, cats' ears) is the same as orecchiette. Maoerduo can be steamed and served with sauce, or cooked as a noodle soup.
[edit] External links
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