10 Italian Pastas I've Come to Know and Love

1. Tagliatelle -

I learned to make this on one of my first outings! It is a wonderful pasta, and is often compared to the blonde hair of a beautiful princess. It is made with egg pasta that is shaped long and flat. Tagliatelle al Ragù is THE dish that Bologna is known for (besides maybe lasagna) and let me just say from experience it's heavenly. (Photo creds to Laura Brache!)

2. Gnocchi -

I like to call these "potato clouds" because they are italian pasta dumplings often made of potatoes. The dough for gnocchi is often rolled out, then cut into small pieces of about the size of a cork. They are then pressed with a fork or a cheese grater to make ridges which hold sauce well. You can make gnocchi in many ways using many different ingredients, so far my favorite has been spinach-flavored!

3. Lasagne -

These are wide, flat-shaped pasta, and possibly one of the oldest types of pasta in the world. In the Unites States the dish itself is called "Lasagna" which is funny to Italians because it is a singular noodle, as it is the singular form of the word "lasagne". One of my absolute favorite dishes to eat for lunch is "Lasagne Bolognese" at the local Enoteca (wine shop).

4. Ravioli -

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, it is a very popular Italian dish sometimes having meat or vegetables inside.

5. Farfalle -

This pasta is known as a "butterfly" pasta because of it's shape (which a lot of americans refer to as "bow-tie"). Farfalle date back to the 16th century in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna (the state which Bologna is in) in Northern Italy. They come in several sizes, but have a distinctive bow tie shape. Usually, the farfalle are formed from a rectangle or oval of pasta with two sides trimmed in a ruffled edge, and the center pinched together to make the unusual shape of the pasta.

6. Spaghetti alla Chitarra -

A variety of egg pasta, the name of this spaghetti comes from the tool (the so-called chitarra, literally "guitar") from which this pasta is produced. The chitarra is a frame with a series of parallel wires crossing it, which helps cut the pasta in a specific way to give it it's texture and shape. The first time I ate out at a restaurant I ordered this, and it was probably the best food experience of my life!

7. Macaroni -

An age-old American classic, but looks a little different in bologna. It's a dry pasta in the shape of narrow tubes, normally made without egg, and (my personal favorite but not shown) has a tri-colored form! The three colors are white, red, and green made on purpose to match the italian flag.

8. Penne -

A type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, also popular in the United States with Chicken Alfredo (sorry, not a true italian dish). Penne is the plural form of the Italian penna, deriving from the Latin origin of "feather" or "quill". In Italy, penne are produced in two main variants: "penne lisce" (smooth) and "penne rigate" (furrowed), the latter having ridges on each penna. Penne is traditionally cooked al dente and served with pasta sauces such as pesto, marinara, or arrabbiata (spicy). Also, always make sure to spell it with two n's or italians might get the wrong impression on your favorite meal!

9. Rigatoni -

A form of tube-shaped pasta of varying lengths and diameters. They are larger than penne, and sometimes slightly curved like macaroni. Rigatoni characteristically have ridges down their length, sometimes spiraling around the tube. And unlike penne, rigatoni's ends are cut square (perpendicular) to the tube walls instead of diagonally. The word rigatoni comes from the Italian word rigato, which means "ridged" or "lined", and is associated with the cuisine of southern and central Italy.

10. Tortellini -

Let me just say, this is just about the closest thing italy comes to making pasta into a soup. Tortellini in Brodo is a very popular Bolognese dish, but can also be replaced with a butter sauce or ragù (meat sauce). It is a ring-shaped pasta, sometimes also described as navel-shaped, hence their alternative name of "ombelico" (belly button).