There are over 300 different shapes of pasta consumed in Italy today. Fresh pasta (simple or stuffed), dry pastas, long, hollow, short, thin, curled, smooth, ribbed and pastas made with eggs, vegetables and even squid ink. Pasta is made of many shapes, surfaces, textures, consistencies and fragrance. Only within one's mouth is it possible to distinguish the different characteristics of each pasta which often seem to be similar.
Every variety of pasta is associated with a region or village in Italy. The historical connections that each shape has with an area, its legends and traditions explains the existence of such a vast variety. Thus, all Italians express their differences through the different shapes of the pasta. From Ziti (served at weddings and named from the Neapolitan dialect for bride-to-be, zita), to Bucatini (long, thick and hollow strings: a Roman variation of spaghetti), each Italian has invented their own new way to enjoy the rich merging of sauce and pasta, and each Italian will claim that theirs is the best of all.
The different pastas and sauces were born from the infinitive creations of housewives and from the daily expedients that the land offered, the vegetables at the local market, the fresh fish at the harbour, the local meats, eggs and cheeses. Pasta was the canvas on which new combinations of flavours were invented, to combine taste and nutrition. So the shape became the link between seasoning and pasta. An abundant portion of the Italian's know-how did the rest.
The art of pasta shapes is a tale of local differences, customs, traditions, a spark of genius and universal good Italian eating.
