Pasta Shapes Are Named After What They Look Like
Pasta is a dough of flour and water in many shapes. Nearly every shape has a descriptive Italian name.
Pasta is a dough of wheat flour and water or egg, formed into shapes and boiled. The names are almost all plain descriptions in Italian: *spaghetti* means little strings, *linguine* little tongues, *farfalle* butterflies, *penne* quills, *vermicelli* little worms and *orecchiette* little ears. A menu in Italy reads like a list of objects. The word itself is Italian for paste or dough, from Late Latin, from a Greek word for barley porridge.
- Flour and water dough. *Fresh pasta.*
- Spaghetti — little strings. *Spaghetti.*
- Farfalle — butterflies. *Farfalle.*
- Penne — quills. *Penne.*
- Al dente — firm to the bite. *Cooked al dente.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pasta | Fresh pasta. |
| Italian | pasta | Paste, dough. |
| Phrase | al dente | Al dente. |
| Related | paste | Paste. |
| Greek | pasta | Barley porridge. |
- Cook the pasta until al dente.Method.
- Farfalle means butterflies.Naming.
- Pasta simply means dough.Etymology.
What the shapes mean
- Spaghetti — little strings, from *spago*, string
- Linguine — little tongues
- Vermicelli — little worms
- Orecchiette — little ears
- Conchiglie — shells; rotelle — little wheels
Italian *pasta*, paste or dough, from Late Latin *pasta*, from Greek *pasta*, barley porridge.
What does al dente mean?
To the tooth, meaning cooked so the pasta still offers slight resistance when bitten.
Are pasta and paste the same word?
Yes. Both come from Late Latin pasta, meaning dough, and English borrowed them at different times.