Portal:Pasta
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
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The Pasta Portal
Pasta (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpasta]) is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating to 1154 in Sicily. Also commonly used to refer to the variety dishes made with it, pasta is typically made from an unleavened dough of a durum wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Some pastas can be made using rice flour in place of wheat flour to yield a different taste and texture, or for those who need to avoid products containing gluten.
Pastas may be divided into two broad categories: dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca). Most dried pasta is produced commercially via an extrusion process, although it can be produced in the home. Fresh pasta is traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines. Fresh pastas available in grocery stores are produced commercially by large-scale machines.
Selected general articles
Bucatini [bukaˈtiːni], also known as perciatelli [pertʃaˈtɛlli], is a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center. The name comes from Italian: buco, meaning "hole", while bucato or its Neapolitan variant perciato means "pierced".
Bucatini is common throughout Lazio, particularly Rome. It is a tubed pasta made of hard durum wheat flour and water. Its length is 25–30 cm (10–12 in) with a 3 mm (1/8 inch) diameter. The average cooking time is nine minutes. In Italian cuisine, it is served with buttery sauces, pancetta or guanciale, vegetables, cheese, eggs, and anchovies or sardines. Read more...
Spaghetti (Italian pronunciation: [spaˈɡetti]; sing. spaghetto) is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta. Spaghettoni is a thicker form of spaghetti, while capellini is a very thin spaghetti. It is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine. Like other pasta, spaghetti is made of milled wheat and water and sometimes enriched with vitamins and minerals. Authentic Italian spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but elsewhere it may be made with other kinds of flour. Typically the pasta is white because refined flour is used, but whole wheat flour may be added.
Originally, spaghetti was notably long, but shorter lengths gained in popularity during the latter half of the 20th century and now it is most commonly available in 25–30 cm (10–12 in) lengths. A variety of pasta dishes are based on it, and it is frequently served with tomato sauce or meat or vegetables. Read more...
Tortiglioni are a type of pasta, similar to rigatoni but larger and with deeper grooves which spiral around the pasta.
They take their name from the Latin word torquere, meaning "to twist". A tortiglione is a characteristic design from the lathe used in pasta manufacturing, with vertical ridges. Read more...
Tagliatelle (Italian pronunciation: [taʎʎaˈtɛlle];
listen (help·info)) and tagliolini (from the Italian tagliare, meaning "to cut") are a traditional type of pasta from the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions of Italy. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine and are typically about 6.5 to 10 mm (0.26 to 0.39 in) wide. Tagliatelle can be served with a variety of sauces, though the classic is a meat sauce or Bolognese sauce. Tagliolini is another variety of tagliatelle that is long and cylindrical in shape, not long and flat.
Both tagliolini and tagliatelle are made with egg pasta. The traditional ratio is one egg to one hundred grams of flour. Read more...
Lasagne (/ləˈzænjə,-ˈzɑːn-, -ˈsɑːn-/; Italian: [laˈzaɲɲe]; singular lasagna) are a type of wide, flat pasta, possibly one of the oldest types of pasta. Lasagne, or the singular lasagna, commonly refers to a culinary dish made with stacked layers of pasta alternated with sauces and ingredients such as meats, vegetables and cheese, and sometimes topped with melted grated cheese. Typically, the cooked pasta is assembled with the other ingredients and then baked in an oven. The resulting lasagne casserole is cut into single-serving square portions. Read more... - TreeHouse Foods Inc., located in Oak Brook, Illinois, is a multinational food processing company specializing in producing private label packaged foods. Created in 2005 and consisting entirely of acquisitions, in 2010 the company had sales of $2 billion and employed over 4000 people at 20 facilities. Food Processing magazine named them their 2010 Processor of the Year, calling them "the biggest company you never heard of." The company is a component of the S&P 400 and in 2015 was the 37th-largest food and beverage company in North America. In 2017, TreeHouse Foods was ranked #427 on the Fortune 500 list. Read more...
Testaroli, sometimes referred to as testarolo, is a type of pasta or bread in Italian cuisine that is prepared using water, flour and salt, which is sliced into triangular shapes. A common dish in the Lunigiana region and historical territory of Italy, it is an ancient pasta originating from the Etruscan civilization of Italy. Testaroli has been described as "the earliest recorded pasta." It is also a native dish of the southern Liguria and northern Tuscany regions of Italy.
Testaroli is prepared from a batter that is cooked on a hot flat surface, after which it may be consumed. It is traditionally cooked on a testo, a flat terra cotta or cast iron cooking surface from which the food's name is derived. It is sometimes cooked further in boiling water and then served. Testaroli is sometimes referred to as a bread, similar to focaccia in composition, and is sometimes referred to as a crêpe. It may be dressed with pesto sauce or other ingredients such as olive oil, Pecorino cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and garlic. Falsi testaroli al ragu is a similar dish prepared using sliced pasta dough and a ragù sauce. Read more...
There are many different varieties of pasta, a staple dish of Italian cuisine.
Some pasta varieties are uniquely regional and not widely known; many types have different names based on region or language. For example, the cut rotelle is also called ruote in Italy and wagon wheels in the United States. Manufacturers and cooks often invent new shapes of pasta, or may rename preexisting shapes for marketing reasons. Read more...
Ravioli (Italian pronunciation: [raˈvjɔːli]; singular: raviolo) are a type of dumpling composed of a filling sealed between two layers of thin pasta dough. Usually served either in broth or with a pasta sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are typically square, though other forms are also used, including circular or semi-circular (mezzelune). Read more...
The C.F. Mueller Company was founded in 1867 and built one of the biggest and most-advanced pasta factories in the United States at 180 Baldwin Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey. At one time, Mueller’s Macaroni became the largest selling brand of pasta in America. It is owned by the American Italian Pasta Company, acquired by Ralcorp in 2010, which in turn was acquired by ConAgra Foods in 2013 and again to TreeHouse Foods in 2016.
From 1947 to 1976, Mueller was owned by the New York University School of Law; McKesson bought the C.F. Mueller Company in 1977; CPC International bought Mueller from McKesson in 1983. Read more...
Fileja (pronounced [fɪˈlɛːja]) are a type pasta typically from the province of Vibo Valentia, Calabria. Made of durum wheat and water, they are prepared by wrapping a sheet of pasta around a thin cane (dinaciulu), creating a hollow tube approximately 20 cm in length. Read more...
Tortellini are ring-shaped pasta, sometimes also described as "navel shaped", hence their alternative name of "belly button" (ombelico). They are typically stuffed with a mix of meat (pork loin, prosciutto), cheese, or a combination of both. Originally from the Italian region of Emilia (in particular Bologna and Modena), they are usually served in broth (in brodo), either of beef, chicken, or both.
Packed, refrigerated or frozen, tortellini and tortelloni (similar but larger, with cheese and/or vegetable stuffing) appear in many locations around the world, especially where there are large Italian communities. Tortellini and tortelloni are made in European industrial lines supplying markets in Europe and further afield. "Fresh" packed tortellini usually have 7 weeks of shelf-life. Read more...- Demaco was founded in 1914 making it the oldest pasta equipment manufacturer in the United States and the only one that makes industrial capacity machines in America. In the 1960s, Demaco pioneered the sanitary extruder for washdown food plants. Read more...
Sedani are a type of pasta slightly larger than maccheroni, with a similar slight bend. They can be smooth (lisce) or furrowed (rigati).
Initially named zanne d'elefante (litt. "elephant tusks"), they were renamed sedani (from sedano, meaning "celery") after the trade of ivory was banned. Read more...
Barilla S.p.A. (Barilla G. e R. Fratelli Società per Azioni) is an Italian food company. Read more...
Gnocchi (/ˈn(j)ɒki/ N(Y)OK-ee, /ˈnoʊki/ NOH-kee, /ˈnɔː-/ NAW-; Italian: [ˈɲɔkki], singular gnocco) are various thick, small, and soft dough dumplings that may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, and/or similar ingredients, and possibly including flavourings of herbs, vegetables, cocoa, or prunes. The dough for gnocchi is most often rolled out before it is cut into small pieces about the size of a wine cork. The little dumplings are then pressed with a fork or a cheese grater to make ridges that can hold sauce. Alternatively, they are simply cut into little lumps. Gnocchi are usually eaten as a replacement for pasta in the first course, but they can also be served as a contorno (side dish) to some main courses.
Like many Italian dishes, gnocchi have considerable variation in recipes and names across different regions. For example, Lombard and Tuscan malfatti (literally poorly made) are made with ricotta, flour and spinach, as well as the addition of various other herbs if required. Tuscan gnudi distinctively contains less flour; but some varieties are flour-based, like the Campanian strangulaprievete, the Apulian cavatielli, the Sardinian malloreddus, and so on. Gnocchi are commonly cooked on their own in salted boiling water and then dressed with various sauces depending on the type of gnocchi and recipe used. Some gnocchi can be made from pieces of cooked polenta or semolina, which are spread out to dry, and then layered with cheese and butter and finished in the oven. Read more...
Rotini is a type of helix- or corkscrew-shaped pasta. The name comes from a 17th-century Italian word meaning "small wheels". Rotini is related to fusilli, but has a tighter helix, i.e. with a smaller pitch. It should not be confused with rotelle ("wagon wheel" pasta).
Rotini originated from Southern Italy and the tight twists help them retain a wide variety of sauces better. They are often used in pasta salads with pesto, Carbonara or tomato-based sauces. Read more...
Penne (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpenːe]) is a type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces. Penne is the plural form of the Italian penna (meaning feather but pen as well), deriving from Latin penna (meaning "feather" or "quill"), and is a cognate of the English word pen. When this format was created in the 19th century it was supposed to imitate the fountain pen's steel nibs. Read more...
Macaroni (/ˌmækəˈroʊni/, Italian: Maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes. Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machines can make macaroni shapes, but like most pasta, macaroni is usually made commercially by large-scale extrusion. The curved shape is created by different speeds of extrusion on opposite sides of the pasta tube as it comes out of the machine.
In North America, the word "macaroni" is often used synonymously with elbow-shaped macaroni, as it is the variety most often used in macaroni and cheese recipes. In Italy, the noun maccheroni refers to straight, tubular, square-ended pasta corta ("short-length pasta"). Maccheroni may also refer to long pasta dishes such as maccheroni alla chitarra and frittata di maccheroni, which are prepared with long pasta like spaghetti. Read more...
Did you know...
- ... that Mac n' Cheetos is a Burger King product that is a combination of macaroni and cheese and the Frito-Lay snack Cheetos?
- ... that Alyssa Milano released four studio albums in Japan after appearing in ads there for pasta and chocolate milk?
- ... that the spaghetti sandwich has been described as a "Tokyo novelty" and "handy commuter snack"?
- ... that an American recipe from 1870 for macaroni pie includes meat from squirrels, birds or wild ducks?
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