Pici

For the Piciformes suborder, see Pici (taxon).

Pici made with egg white.

Pici is a thick, hand rolled pasta, like a fat spaghetti. It originates in the province of Siena in Tuscany; in the Montalcino area it is also referred to as pinci.

The dough is typically made from flour and water only. The addition of egg is optional, being determined by family traditions.

The dough is rolled out in a thick flat sheet, then cut into strips. In some families, the strip of dough is rolled between one palm and the table, while the other hand is wrapped with the rest of the strip. It can also be formed by rolling the strip between the palms. Either method forms a thick pasta, slightly thinner than a common pencil. Unlike spaghetti or macaroni, this pasta is not uniform in size and has variations of thickness along its length.

It is eaten with a variety of foods, particularly:

Food category	Italian	English
sauces	briciole	breadcrumbs
	aglione	spicy garlicky tomato sauce
	boscaiola	porcini mushrooms
	ragù	a meat based sauce
game meat	cinghiale	wild boar
	lepre	hare
	anatra	duck

See also

• Spaghetti, similar shape but different dough
• List of pasta