Types and secrets of cooking Italian pasta. Macaroni or pasta? What is the difference and subtleties of cooking

"Ancestors" of modern Italian pasta appeared in the 1st century and were a wide noodles made from durum wheat, which were not boiled, but baked in an oven. A little later under the influence Arabic cuisine Italians began to add spices to the dough, and in the XIV century pasta finally got their current name “pasta” (“dough”). Thanks to the opportunity long-term storage pasta became a popular food for travelers and sailors, although it was eaten with the hands, so this dish was considered food for commoners.

After the invention of a special four-pronged fork, which made it possible to deal with long pasta in an elegant way, the dish became part of the diet of the upper class, while the methods of preparing and serving it were improved.

Soon they began to cook in milk with sugar and serve with butter and cheese, but only wealthy people could afford this delicacy, and the poor limited themselves to pasta with garlic and vegetables. From the 19th century, after the invention of the pasta machine, it began to be produced on an industrial scale, although the first recipes for the dish were published already in the 10th century by the Italian chef Martin Corno in cookbook"The Art of Cooking Sicilian Pasta and Vermicelli". Now pasta is considered the national Italian dish, there are dozens of types, although the term “pasta” is used to refer to all types of dough products. Italians love pasta and eat 25-30 kg of it a year, because for them it is not just a national dish, but also gourmet delicacy and the best delicacy in the world.

Types of Italian pasta and the secrets of their preparation

Many Russians call any kind of pasta pasta, and this is not entirely correct. Pasta, which is a hollow tube, is a type of Neapolitan pasta, and they include flour soft varieties wheat. Pasta is also dry and fresh - fresh pasta prepared immediately before cooking from eggs and white flour, and dry is made for future use from water and durum wheat flour so that it can be stored longer and not fall apart during cooking.

And now let's try to figure out what types of pasta exist, how they differ from each other and how to cook them correctly.

Straight and long types of pasta

Spaghetti- paste, which is the basis for other types of pastes, and this word is translated as “small ropes”, their diameter is 1.8–2 mm, and the length reaches 15 cm or more. Thin spaghetti is known in cooking as spaghettini, and thick - like spaghettoni. They are served with thick tomato and cheese sauces flavored with spices and garlic. The same group includes capellini- thin spaghetti with a diameter of just over 1 mm, intertwined in the form of balls resembling nests, which are called "angel hair". Usually this paste is used to season soups and broths, and as a second course it is served with hot light sauces and vegetables. Vermicelli, called "little worms", is somewhat similar to capellini and is prepared in a similar way, but is served both cold and hot. Name of narrow, flat and long paste linguini translates as "little tongues". This pasta is considered versatile and delicious with any dressing, especially pesto, seafood sauce, ham, cheese and cream.

Fettuccine, a 1 cm wide ribbon pasta that is sold in rolled nests, is especially fond of cream sauces and olive oil gravies. popular view tape paste - lasagna, which is made from rectangular sheets with straight or curly edges. IN ready-made lasagna resembles an oven-baked cake made from layers of pasta with meat, fish, vegetables and cheese fillings, watered with thick tomato and creamy sauces. Pappardelle, long egg noodles 2 cm wide, very similar to fettuccine, and in translation the name sounds like “eager to eat”, because this pasta is very tasty and sometimes it is difficult to stop in the process of tasting. Parpadelle is cooked for only two minutes, used to make casseroles or served with meat with thick and spicy sauces. Another tape paste, tagliatelle, 5–8 mm wide, does not look as flat as fettuccine, has a porous structure that absorbs well various ingredients, and it is customary to serve it in casseroles, with soups, meat and thick sauces bolognese. Pasta in the form of a long ribbon with wavy edges reginette(mafaldina), invented in Naples, served with Neapolitan sauce, seafood and curry, which must include saffron, ginger and horseradish.

Curly and curly pasta

Spiral-shaped paste is called fusilli spiral("small wheels") - they can be short and long, thin and thick. Colorful fusilli are ideal for salads and soups, they are served as a side dish with pesto sauce and give dishes a bright unusual look. There are the following types of dough spirals: mini fusilli(small spirals) fusilli bukati corti(hollow spirals), fusilli rigati- pasta with grooves for better absorption of the sauce. Short spirals, equal in thickness to spaghetti, rotini, served both cold and hot, in salads or with very thick sauces.

hollow pasta

Small short tubes in Italian are called ditalini("thimbles") - they are very popular in Sicily, where they are served with mushroom, tomato, garlic sauce, ricotta cheese and broccoli. Elbow macaroni(horns) are used for cooking dishes with cheese, in soups and vegetable salads and hollow spaghetti pechutelle incomparably delicious with eggplant and meat sauces. wedding pasta ziti 20 cm long is broken into several pieces before cooking, and the pasta penne("feathers") with oblique cuts and grooves and meze penne rigate(twice as long as penne) easily hold the sauce inside and out, pairing amazingly with any food. Meze manike are a wider variety of penne and are paired with onions and zucchini. Cannelloni- large medium-length tubes with a smooth surface, served hot, with minced meat and thick sauce. Cavatappi, hollow "worms" of medium size, served both cold and hot, with various sauces.

Unusual pasta of various shapes

Children's paste alphabet, made from selected wheat, filtered water and natural supplements, has the shape of letters and is designed specifically for baby food. Graceful rings anelli, squares quadretti, asterisks stelline, original pasta farfalle in the form of butterflies-bows, shells familiar to us in their shape conchile, pasta orzo, like rice, pasta in the form of wheels rotelle and radiators radiators used in the preparation of soups, salads and gourmet side dishes,. pasta castellane, reminiscent of bell skirts, was first cooked in the Italian city of Parma, and is traditionally served with cauliflower sauce. Among pasta unusual shape also distinguished: perlini- small pearl shells, lumakoni- big snails kiffery- small snails orecchiette- resemble halves walnut, grattoni- small balls merletti- round medallions with an ornament.

stuffed pasta

In Italy, pasta is very popular for stuffing. Pasta angelotti in the form of a crescent, they are stuffed with cottage cheese, meat, cheese and spinach. Gnocchi("small dumplings") are ideally combined with semolina and vegetables. Tortellinni, dumplings in the form of rings, stuffed with vegetables, cheese, squid, and served with thick sauces or with olive oil, parmesan, pepper and garlic. square dumplings ravioli cooked with meat, fish, cheese, vegetable and sweet fillings, and watered exclusively simple sauces, not interrupting the main taste of the dish.

How to cook pasta

The main way to prepare pasta is to boil it in a large amount of water. Italian pasta does not contain salt, so it is necessary to salt the water before laying the product.

Pasta must be dipped only in boiling water, and most importantly - do not cover with a lid! Long types of pasta do not need to be broken, just wait for the softening of the lower part and press down upper part. When the pasta is ready, you need to quickly drain the water and immediately season the pasta with olive oil or sauce so that their flavors mix together.

The cooking time of the pasta depends on its size and thickness. For example, thin "angel hair" will be ready in 2-3 minutes, large snails and all kinds of pipes are boiled for about 15 minutes. In any case, pay attention to the packaging. Do not forget that pasta for salads and for garnish is usually cooked "al dente" - not until completely softened, but so that there is a hard core inside. Pasta cooked "al dente" has been shown to contain fewer calories than fully cooked pasta. Italians don't always boil pasta in water. If pasta is boiled in meat or chicken broth, pasta is obtained - light soup from broth and pasta.

Carbonara sauce and Neapolitano

The preparation of pasta sauce is considered the highest in Italy. culinary arts, not by chance Italian chefs They say: "Pasta is the body, and the sauce is the soul." Often the sauce is mixed with other products for piquancy and richness of the dish. Pasta carbonara is one of such national masterpieces, which is spaghetti with slices of bacon or raw smoked ham, filled with cream-based egg and cheese sauce, to which other ingredients are added depending on the recipe - cognac, white wine, chicken bouillon, basil, parsley, parmesan, zucchini, garlic, pecorino cheese, olive oil and black pepper.

If penne pasta is seasoned with Neapolitano sauce made from stewed tomatoes and carrots, with parmesan, celery, basil and onions and garlic fried in olive oil, you get a dish that adorned the royal table in past centuries.

How to serve pasta? The most important rule: it is not customary to serve pasta without sauce - meat, fish, cream, mushroom, vegetable, cheese, nut or tomato. The sauce can be tender, light, airy, thick, spicy, fatty, sour or sweet, but whatever sauce you choose, it will almost always contain parmesan, olive oil, garlic, fragrant herbs and spices. Short types of pasta are best combined with sauces, which include pieces of meat, fish and vegetables, and long pasta is in harmony with homogeneous sauces. The sauce transforms the taste of the pasta, saturates it with new shades and turns it into royal delicacy- it is no coincidence that this dish is considered one of the most popular and beloved in world cuisine. An Italian proverb states: "If you want to live forever, eat pasta."

How often have you heard this question lately: “What is pasta?” In Russian, this word characterizes the qualitative state of matter and, in our case, of some food product used in cooking. But the Italians call pasta what we call pasta. Yes, these pasta take on a variety of shapes and sometimes have the most unusual sizes, but still this is the most ordinary pasta.

pasta bolognese

Another equally popular pasta is pasta Bolognese. Prepared on the basis of Bolognese stew, meat sauce for pasta. This pasta began to be prepared in Bologna, which is not difficult to guess if you look at its name. In Bologna itself, it is prepared mainly with green lasagna and fresh tagliatelle. Well, in other areas it can be served with anything, with any kind of pasta.

In Bologna, they also limit the set of ingredients for Bolognese sauce (which is what you want) to the following list: pork, beef, carrots, onions, tomatoes, pancetta, celery, red wine, meat broth, milk.

I was prompted to write this article by a question that from time to time and in various variations they ask in the comments to pasta recipes, of which there are already quite a few on this site: can I take pasta instead of pasta, and what is the difference between pasta and pasta? I am sure that many readers, having heard this, chuckled - they say that only beginners can have such questions. I completely agree, and I address this article to them, to beginners. Let's dot the i's for pasta and macaroni.

What is the difference between pasta and pasta?

Pasta (colloquially pasta) is a semi-finished product made from dried dough, which must be boiled before use. In this sense, pasta is not only italian spaghetti but also Chinese rice noodles, and Japanese and udon, and domestic vermicelli. Since this is a household name, pasta is sometimes called any noodles in general, not necessarily dried, and in this case, pasta, in addition to the varieties listed above, can be considered German spaetzle, Hungarian chipetka, and so on. In a word, just pasta, without clarification - a very broad concept that can be called almost any dough product, except for baking.

Now for the pasta.

It is believed that the Italian pasta comes from the Latin name for dough, which in turn goes back to the Greek word παστά, which was called barley porridge. Accordingly, the pasta itself, as well as the term denoting it, came to us from Italy, where pasta is a favorite national dish: more than 300 varieties of Italian pasta of various shapes and sizes are known. Thus, I would suggest the following definition:

Pasta is pasta made in the Italian tradition and dishes made from it.

Why "in the Italian tradition"? Because spaghetti and other pasta made from durum wheat flour (from which most varieties of Italian pasta are produced) have learned to do far not only in Italy. Not so long ago, I compared Russian and Italian spaghetti from the same price segment, and our pasta turned out to be no worse than Italian. Moreover, the Italian names of pasta forms (at least the most common ones) have also taken root with us, so in the store you will find not only domestic spaghetti, but also penne, linguine and tagliatelle, and in some places not only dried, but and fresh.

However, what kind of pasta to choose in the store is a topic for a separate discussion. For now, it’s enough to summarize that when you meet the word “pasta” in the recipe, you can safely use spaghetti or other pasta made from durum wheat at your discretion.

Varieties of pasta - why are there so many of them and who needs it?

I think, having read about the existence of more than three hundred varieties of pasta, many of you were amazed - why are there so many of them? I suppose the answer to this question lies in the field of cultural studies: I have read a rather interesting version that while in other cultures women spent their free time knitting and embroidering, Italian needlework lay closer to the culinary plane. In addition, let's not forget that pasta has been in Italy since time immemorial (the first mention of Italian noodles dates back to 1154), the regions of Italy were divided, each preparing pasta a little differently, which ultimately resulted in a variety of forms. One way or another, in practice, our interest sounds like this: is there a culinary difference between types of pasta, or can you take any?

It turns out there is.

The fact is that when serving pasta, accompanied by sauce, pasta of various forms interacts differently with different sauces: for some pasta, a thicker sauce is more suitable, for some - on the contrary. If you try to create something like a compatibility table for pasta and sauces, you get something like this:

Intelligible? I hope more than that - provided that you still use this table as a recommendation, and do not deny yourself if you suddenly want to cook spaghetti with pesto.

How to cook pasta?

Let's move on to the most burning part of our story - the practical one. The fact is that, for all its apparent simplicity, proper preparation pasta has its own nuances. Italians who try pasta in most of our restaurants will say that it is overcooked, but to our traveler, pasta in a Roman trattoria, on the contrary, may seem undercooked out of habit. The thing is that in Italy they prefer pasta to the degree of readiness when a slight resistance is still felt inside, as if every spaghetti has the thinnest string hidden, requiring little effort to bite it. When you get used to such a paste, you will find that it really tastes better than boiled, and in addition it is better digested. Here are some detailed tips on how to cook pasta no matter what sauce you serve it with.

• The classic ratio of ingredients when cooking pasta is very easy to remember: 1000 g of water + 100 g of pasta + 10 g of salt per serving. With proper skill, you can cook pasta in less water, but this proportion is guaranteed to give the pasta enough space to cook evenly and not stick together.
• First bring the water and salt in a large saucepan to a boil over high heat, and only then add the pasta. The water will stop boiling for a while, so let it come back to a boil, after which you can reduce the heat.
• Sometimes it is advised to add a spoonful of olive oil to the water so that the pasta does not stick together, but I do not recommend doing this. Just stir the pasta once every one or two minutes with a long spoon so that it moves freely in the pan and it definitely does not stick together. No need to rinse boiled pasta!
• As mentioned above, Italians cook pasta to the degree of readiness, which they call, which translates as "to the tooth." In order to catch the moment when the pasta is no longer undercooked, but not yet completely cooked, start tasting the pasta 1-2 minutes before the expiration of the time indicated on the package. As soon as you realize that this is it - immediately drain the water. I will add that the above applies to dried pasta, but not to fresh: it will not be possible to cook it to the state of al dente with all your desire, so just cook according to the instructions on the package.
• At the end of cooking the pasta, scoop up a ladle or two of the water in which it was boiled and save it - you will need it to thin the sauce if it turns out that it turned out to be too thick. Unlike plain water, such water due to the starch that has boiled into it from the pasta will not make the sauce watery.
• If you have prepared the sauce in an appropriately sized saucepan, add the pasta to the sauce, not the other way around. Otherwise, the pasta can be combined with the sauce in the same pan where it was just cooked.
• Already on the plate, the pasta can be seasoned with black pepper, lightly drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated parmesan.

I hope that the question "pasta or pasta?" I answered exhaustively. And if you still have other questions about pasta and its preparation, even simple and stupid ones, ask them in the comments.

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Dishes Italian cuisine firmly settled on our table. The first thing that comes to mind at the mention of Italy is, of course, pasta. It is characterized by simplicity, ease of preparation and fragrant appeal.

website brings to your attention 10 delicious recipes Italian pasta that you won't spend a lot of time on.

spaghetti carbonara

Ingredients:

• 350 g raw smoked ham or bacon
• 400 g spaghetti
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 garlic cloves
• 225 ml cream or sour cream
• 75 g grated parmesan

Cooking:

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, fry the chopped garlic. Add diced ham and fry for 3 minutes.
2. Whip cream with yolks, add parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
3. We cook spaghetti. We throw them into the pan with ham. Pour the sauce over low heat and cook for 7-8 minutes until thickened.

Baked pasta with fried vegetables

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 zucchini
• 2 zucchini
• mushrooms to taste
• 1 head of onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 st. l. dried Italian or Provence herbs
• 450 g penne pasta
• 3 cups marinara sauce
• 1 glass grated cheese
• 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan and 1/3 tbsp. for sprinkling
• 2 tbsp. l. butter

Cooking:

1. We heat the oven to 230 degrees. On a baking sheet put the pepper, cut into strips, zucchini and zucchini, diced, mushrooms and onions, mix with olive oil.
2. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper and dried herbs and roast vegetables until soft, about 15 minutes.
3. Cook the pasta for about 6 minutes until the inside is firm. When ready, drain the water.
4. In a large bowl, gently toss pasta with roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheese, peas, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
5. Transfer everything to an oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the dish with parmesan cheese, lay out pieces of butter on top. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is completely melted.

Pasta with creamy pesto sauce

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup fresh leaves basilica
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 art. l. pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. l. oils
• 340 g pasta
• 2 tomatoes

Cooking:

1. Put the basil, garlic, Pine nuts, grated parmesan. Grind, add salt and pepper to taste. Then pour in a little olive oil. Mix well.
2. Heat in a small saucepan over medium heat heavy cream, add butter, melt. Add the pesto to the pot and stir.
3. Boil macaroni in salted water. Drain the water, transfer the pasta to a deep dish, mix with creamy pesto sauce. Add diced tomatoes (optional), mix well.

Penne rigate with pork tenderloin

Ingredients:

• 250 g penne rigate
• 250 g pork tenderloin
• 1 red onion
• 1 red chili
• 500 ml tomato puree
• 3 art. l. olive oil
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 1 bunch green basil
• grated parmesan cheese
• ground black pepper
• green onion

Cooking:

1. Pork tenderloin cut into thin pieces fry in olive oil for 7 minutes.
2. In the meat, add red onion in half rings, finely chopped chili pepper, previously peeled from seeds, basil, cherry halves. Fry for 3 more minutes. Adding tomato puree or finely chopped tomatoes. Salt, simmer for 10 minutes.
3. At this time, immerse the penne rigate in salted boiling water and cook until tender. Drain the water, pour them into ready sauce, leave for a minute.
4. We spread the dish on a plate, sprinkle with grated parmesan, decorate with green onions.

Carbonara with zucchini and meatballs

Ingredients:

• 500 g minced pork
• 1 onion
• 4 slices of bacon
• 500 g spaghetti
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 zucchini
• 1 cup cream
• 1 lemon
• 120 g grated parmesan cheese
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 2 tbsp. l. butter

Cooking:

1. Add minced onion and spices to taste. Mix and roll meatballs.
2. In a well-heated frying pan, dissolve the butter and fry the meatballs for 5-6 minutes. Add diced zucchini and bacon pieces. Cook, stirring, for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Boil the pasta in lightly salted water. Mix in a separate bowl egg yolks with the zest of one lemon, chopped herbs and parmesan.
4. Mix the pasta with the resulting sauce and put it in the pan with the meatballs. Mix thoroughly. Season with spices to taste.

Pasta with shrimps and wine-tomato sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• 2 tbsp. l. butter
• salt, pepper to taste
• 400 g spaghetti or other pasta
• 400 g shrimp
• 1 tsp seasonings for seafood

Cooking:

1. In a saucepan, heat up 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, add garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Add wine, tomatoes and simmer, stirring, for about 30 minutes. At the end of cooking, add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Boil the pasta in salted water, drain the water, add the butter and stir.
3. Heat the rest of the oil, add the shrimp and fry lightly. Then mix the shrimp with tomato sauce.

Put the pasta on a plate, pour over the sauce and serve.

pasta bolognese

Ingredients:

• 300 g pasta
• 1 onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 carrot
• 200 g minced beef
• 200 g minced pork
• 1 can of tomatoes in juice
• 3 garlic cloves

Cooking:

1. We chop the onion, celery and carrots, and fry in olive oil until soft: first the onion, after a minute the celery, after another 2 - the carrots.
2. Stew meat in own juice until the water boils away and the meat is browned.
3. Boil spaghetti in salted water. While the pasta is cooking, mix the meat with vegetables, add the tomatoes and juice and simmer for 40 minutes over low heat. - 1 hour. At the very end, add garlic.

Ditalini with green pea sauce

Ingredients:

• 80 g ditalini pasta
• 215 g peas
• 45 g olive oil
• 1 head of onion
• 50 g bacon
• 35 g crab meat
• 10 g parmesan cheese
• 80 g cherry tomatoes
• chilli

Cooking:

1. In a frying pan, heat 20 g of olive oil and fry the onion and bacon. When they are reddened, add 200 g of peas and, as soon as the peas begin to shrink, remove from heat. We shift the peas into a blender and make a puree out of it.
2. Cook pasta according to instructions.

Heat 20 g of olive oil in a frying pan and heat the remaining peas for a minute, add the pasta and mix quickly.

In the water in which the broccoli was blanched, bring to a boil and throw in the spaghetti. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes and drain all the water.

Pour red wine into a saucepan, add sugar, boil for 2 minutes. Then put the undercooked spaghetti into the simmering wine and cook, stirring for about 6 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Pasta should be slightly undercooked.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan, throw in chopped garlic and red pepper flakes. Fry the garlic until pale golden. Add broccoli, salt, black pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Put the spaghetti in the pan with the broccoli and cook until all the wine has evaporated. Remove from heat, mix with cheese and serve.

Spicy chicken pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 package fettuccine
• 2 sweet bell peppers
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 small tomatoes
• 1 glass of milk
• olive oil for frying
• black pepper to taste
• red pepper to taste
• teriyaki sauce
• fresh herbs for garnish

Cooking:

1. We cut chicken fillet cubes, season with red pepper. Heat up a frying pan, add oil and fry the chicken. Lay the fried fillets on a plate.
2. In the same pan, fry finely chopped vegetables for 30-40 seconds and transfer to a plate with chicken.
3. Cook pasta according to instructions. We do not drain all the water, leave about a glass.
4. Pour the water left after the pasta into the pan, pour the milk. Add a couple of tablespoons of teriyaki sauce, a little black pepper. Stir the sauce so that it does not burn, bring to a boil and put the vegetables there, mix.
5. Transfer the pasta to the skillet and stir. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle greens on top, arrange on plates and serve.

Actually, under the Italian word "pasta" pasta is well known to you!

The word "pasta" is translated from Latin as "dough." That's what a lot of people are called flour products Italian cuisine, except, perhaps, pizza. Pasta is one of the most consumed foods in Italy! But at the same time, for Italians, this is not just food, but also a way of life and national traditions.

Real pasta is made from hard varieties wheat, so it is well digested and very useful for the body.

Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian sailor, brought a special variety of durum wheat from the Crimea to Italy, from which the first pasta was made. This pasta is different unique taste And amber color. But, unfortunately, this variety of wheat was forever lost to mankind. Nevertheless, even modern pasta is very tasty, especially if it is cooked correctly.

By classic recipe each kilogram of pasta is supposed to be boiled in 10 liters of salted boiling water.

But at home, it is not necessary to observe such an exact proportion. Although, of course, it must be remembered that pasta loves a large number of water! And it is also very important not to digest the pasta, otherwise they lose their taste and nutrients.

The harder the pasta, the longer it takes to cook. Italians prefer to cook pasta to the state of “al dente”, which means “to the tooth”, that is, it is slightly hard, tight, unboiled pasta. It is also recommended to add a little to the water when cooking. vegetable oil, then the cooling pasta will not stick together in the pan. Or, to avoid sticking, after the water is drained, you can add butter or vegetable oil to the pasta, better, of course, olive oil.

And, of course, one of the most wonderful additions to pasta is cheese! Italians add their famous Parmesan cheese to almost any pasta, except pasta with fish sauce. But instead of parmesan, you can add pasta and any other cheese to taste.

What makes pasta not just pasta, but real? a unique dish? Sauce! Usually, Italian chefs prepare the sauce and pasta separately, and only then mix it in a saucepan or directly on a plate. At the same time, it turns out very tasty, and it’s even hard to believe that this is just ordinary pasta.

In Italy, pasta is produced by more than two thousand enterprises, and, of course, many Italians make it themselves at home.
The best pasta is considered to be handmade in small workshops. In production, making pasta on average takes several hours, but such “homemade” pasta takes longer to cook - about a day. Expensive Italian restaurants buy only hand-made pasta and wait for their orders for 2-3 months. And all over Italy homemade pasta sold in the markets or in special shops.

In modern production, pasta is also made multi-colored with the help of food coloring.

Spinach gets green beetroot juice- purple, carrot - red, pumpkin - orange, and squid or cuttlefish ink - black.

If you ever try black paste, don't be surprised, it can stain your teeth and tongue black.

Exists great amount- more than 700 - types of pasta!

And this diversity has existed since ancient times. Pasta is different appearance, texture and shape, and each type has its own name.

Here are the main types of Italian pasta:

Spaghetti These are long round pasta. Their diameter is about 2 millimeters, and the length is usually a little more than 15 centimeters. Thinner spaghetti is called "spaghettini" and thicker spaghetti is called "spaghettini".

The birthplace of spaghetti is the Italian city of Genoa. Not far from Genoa, there is even a spaghetti museum, which contains hundreds of recipes for seasonings and sauces.

Many Italian dishes are based on spaghetti. For example, spaghetti in Neapolitan style - with tomato sauce, spaghetti bolognese popular all over the world - with tomato sauce and minced meat, spaghetti carbonara- with ham and cream, there are even spaghetti with garlic and butter,and various others...

Spaghetti and other long, thin pasta are eaten with a fork and spoon: the spoon is held in the left hand, and a portion of pasta is pierced with a fork and wrapped around the teeth without tearing. Then they take the seasoning with a spoon and eat spaghetti with it. According to etiquette, it is not recommended to cut off pasta that hangs from the fork with a knife. But it is quite possible to rest with a fork on a spoon or vertically on the bottom of the plate and rotate the fork around its axis, wrapping pasta on it.

And there are also special forks for convenient eating of long pasta. But real heroes do without it!

And also by Italian traditions spaghetti is not supposed to break when cooked. It should be like putting long pasta in boiling water, and when this part becomes a little soft, omit the dry part.

capellini - long, round and very, very thin pasta.

Capellini are similar to spaghetti, but they are much thinner. They are sometimes also called "angel hair". main feature capellini, for which they are very popular - they are prepared very quickly, literally 2-3 minutes. Serve capellini with light sauces, broths, or simply mixed with olive oil and boiled vegetables.

Penne - straight, medium length tubes, often with lateral grooves.

Rigatoni - long, short tubes, wider than penne, also with grooves. The tastiest thing is rigatonis with various thick sauces.

Manicotti - longer and wider than penne, can be grooved. Manicotti is also called the dish itself when this particular pasta is used. Served with stuffed meat or cheese fillings.

Cannelloni - large long tubes. Translated from Italian name of this paste means "large cane". Typically, cannelloni are stuffed with meat or cheese fillings and baked with sauce.

Lasagna - a traditional dish Italian cuisine, one of the most famous and widespread throughout the world. Lasagna is prepared from layers of dough mixed with layers of filling, poured with sauce and baked in the oven. Lasagna is not only a dish, but also the sheets of dough that are used in its preparation.

The most common types of lasagne toppings are chopped meat with tomatoes, or salmon fish with spinach, onions and cream. And there is also a completely vegetarian lasagna - stuffed with vegetables. And, of course, any lasagna is sure to be generously sprinkled with grated cheese! Classic lasagna must have 5 layers. Lasagna sheets can be prepared at home, or you can buy ready-made dry sheets in the store.

The first lasagna was cooked in the oven in special pans without a handle, where they put a certain number of layers. thin dough, alternating with filling and parmesan cheese. Sometimes lasagna dough was dyed in bright green color adding mashed spinach.

Linguini - slightly flattened pasta, slightly longer than spaghetti.

Linguine is cooked like spaghetti and any other long thin pasta - without breaking. One of the most popular Italian recipes is linguine with seafood.

Fettuccine - long not very wide pasta.

Usually fettuccine is sold in stores in the form of twisted nests.

Tortellini - resemble small dumplings or dumplings in shape. Inside the tortellini- filling, and the ends of the dough are connected together.

The filling is made from cottage cheese, cheese, meat or vegetables. The cook, with a skillful laconic movement, puts the filling on even squares of pasta, folds them into triangles and pinches the edges. It turns out tiny dumplings, which romantic Italians once called "the navel of Venus."

Gnocchi - the name of this pasta is translated from Italian as"small dumplings", usually made from dough with cheese, semolina, potatoes or spinach.

Eggs and cheese are sometimes added to the dough, as well as finely chopped spinach or greens. These dumplings in the form of small balls are boiled in boiling water. They are usually served with butter and Parmesan cheese or with hot sauce for pasta.

Ravioli - popular italian dish- squares of dough with various fillings (meat, vegetables, cheese, etc.).

Ravioli are boiled and served immediately or additionally baked in the oven with the addition of cream, cheese or tomato sauce.

Agnolotti - small pasta, usually crescent-shaped, but sometimes square, then they become like ravioli. Agnolotti being stuffed various fillings- meat, cottage cheese, spinach, cheese.

Agnolotti is always eaten hot with various sauces.

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1. Rotini (spirals) - very short spirals, similar to springs. Served with very thick sauces, good in pasta salads.

2. Fusilli (also spirals) - longer and more twisted than rotini. Fusilli is served with almost all sauces, in soups or in pasta salads.

3. Papardelle - wide long noodles. Sometimes dry pappardelles are rolled into "nests". Used in baked dishes, with thick sauces.

4. Tagliatelli - the same width as fettuccine or linguine, but not as flat. Used in casseroles and soups.

5. Ditalini - small horns. Used cold in soups or pasta salads.

6. Elbow - curved hollow horns, larger than ditalini. Elbow is traditionally served with cheese. It is also used in baked dishes or in pasta salads.

7. Peciutelli - long, thin and straight tubes, superior in thickness to spaghetti. And you can eat them like spaghetti, in any form, except, perhaps, soups.

8. Ziti - arched tubes, wider and longer than elbow. Served baked, in pasta salads and with thick sauces.

9. Alphabet - small pasta in the form of letters of the alphabet. They are mainly used for making soups.

10. Anelli - small rings Also used in soups.

11. Farfalle - the name of this pasta is translated from Italian as "butterflies".

12. conchille - shells with a long and narrow cavity, the name of this paste is translated from Italian as "mollusk shell".

Conchilles come in different sizes. Served hot and cold. Used in soups, baked and in pasta salads, depending on size.

13. Conciloni (big shells) - similar to conchilla, but noticeably larger. They are served in different types, but almost always cumshots look very impressive. They are stuffed, for example, with a mixture soft cheese ricotta, spinach and pine nuts, and baked.

14. Orzo (pasta rice) - very unusual pasta, which is very, very similar in appearance to ordinary rice. Most often used in soups.

15. Radiators - pasta, reminiscent of their appearance conventional radiators. Each pasta has grooves and grooves, like on a radiator. They can be served both cold and hot with thick creamy sauces, in soups and salads.

16. Ruote - round pasta, similar to cart wheels. Used in soups and salads.

Italians stubbornly call pasta their invention. Maybe it is. But dough products that look like pasta are found in images in Egyptian tombs, in Greek mythology, and Chinese culinary descriptions.

It doesn't matter who invented pasta, but only in Italy did pasta become a favorite national dish!

In high-quality, properly cooked and served pasta, according to the Italians, there is nothing harmful, they do not get fat from it. And eating pasta with cheese, a person gets almost all required composition nutrients because cheese contains proteins and fats that are not found in wheat.

In the capital of Italy, the city of Rome, next to one of the main attractions of the city - the Trevi Fountain - there is the only pasta museum in the world.

The entire history of the favorite Italian dish is presented in the halls of the museum.The museum also tells about the reflection of pasta in films, plays, works of art, as well as about the most famous pasta lovers.In addition, tools for making pasta are collected there - from millstones, which used to grind wheat grains into flour a long time ago, to the most modern machines.

By the way, for some time now, in ordinary stores, anyone can buy a small machine for making simple pasta at home!

Or here is such a more advanced version with nozzles for making curly paste.

Here it is, tasty and varied, pasta!

By the way, in addition to pasta made from wheat, there are also pasta made from rice flour which are especially common in Asian countries. They are not even called pasta, and in Europe they are not as popular as regular wheat pasta. Distinguishes rice noodles and rice pasta characteristic white or light beige color, sometimes rice noodles can even be transparent, this option is called "glass noodles".

Some people find pasta unusual application. For example, if the paste different shapes glued in a certain order with each other, and then painted with paint, it can turn out to be an amusing Christmas tree decoration! There is no limit to fantasy!

In Russia, pasta is usually not cooked, what we eat is more correctly called just pasta. One of the most delicious and widespread dishes with pasta in Russia is "navy-style pasta". To prepare this dish ready-made pasta mixed with minced meat fried in advance and with a fried mixture of onions and carrots. And it's no worse than some Bolognese spaghetti.

And you can someday surprise your family by preparing a very simple and funny dish - "hairy sausage"!

Take a sausage or sausage, whole or cut into pieces.

Pierce her long pasta. If you have pasta, then it is better to pierce the sausage with bunches of pasta, otherwise they will break. And if you have thicker pasta, then you can pierce not with bunches, but with individual pasta.

Throw this piece of art into boiling water and cook until pasta is done! Do you remember that pasta is the best way to retain its taste and beneficial features, if you cook them to the state of "al dente", that is, make sure that the pasta is not overcooked, but slightly elastic! As a result of these simple actions, you will get a "hairy sausage"!

Bon appetit! The main thing is not to rush and do not overeat, because overeating any food, even very tasty, is harmful.

And if you're in Italy, don't forget to visit the pasta museum in Rome, the spaghetti museum in Genoa, and just eat plenty of real Italian pasta - feel the difference!