Long pasta. Italian Pasta - A to Z
Pasta we appreciate for an attractive cost that fits into the budget of both the student and the pensioner. We love for the ease of preparation, accessible to a child, a young housewife, and an inveterate bachelor. And we love it for its versatility, you can cook a variety of side dishes, delicious main courses, hearty soups, cottage cheese and meat casseroles, sweet desserts and many national dishes from them.
In large supermarkets, pasta is dedicated to entire departments. The range of this product is mind boggling. Let's try to figure out if there are differences between the products and what exactly they are. Today we will look at all kinds of pasta.
The opinion of the expert of the society for the protection of consumer rights, what is the difference between pasta and how to choose them:
Varieties of pasta
Flour is the basis of any pasta. Most often, wheat flour is used for their production, but sometimes you can find products made from rye, rice or buckwheat flour. Pasta made from wheat flour is usually subdivided according to the types of raw materials from which they are made. For production, flour of the highest, first and second grade is used.
In addition to the variety, the product group is indicated on the packaging. Be sure to pay attention to this indicator. Pasta group A is made from durum wheat, and B and C - from soft varieties. The greatest value is durum wheat products. They do not boil soft, retain their curly shape and contain more nutrients.
Is it possible to trust the manufacturers and everything that is written on the packaging? Learn to identify the truth:
Types of pasta
Let's try to sort through the abundance of pasta that manufacturers spoil us with. In colloquial form, we often call all pasta "pasta", but in reality this term is used to refer to long tubes, porous inside. All other products (or paste, as they are called in their homeland) are included in other groups.
In a separate group of curly products, you can take out hollow figures intended for stuffing. The idea to fill the tubes and shells with minced meat came from Italy, which is why the "purebred Italians" represent this group: cannelloni, manicotti, conchiglioni.
Produced especially for kids curly pasta in the form of funny animals, birds, stars, flowers. Children are especially interested in colored products. To get them, manufacturers add food coloring to the dough.
Of course, this is not all types of pasta available in the assortment of grocery departments. I hope that you will love pasta even more and will be more confident in picking up packs with unfamiliar names.
nutritionist, clinical psychologist-nutritionistA portion of pasta for a girl is about 60 grams in dry form, for a man - 85 grams. Most often, pasta is made from wheat flour, but there are pasta made from rice, buckwheat, chickpea flour, and other legume flours. Since pasta is made from a particular type of flour, it contains similar, but in lesser amounts, vitamins and minerals to the grain that the flour is made from. Most often, these are vitamins of groups B, E, trace elements such as iron, phosphorus, manganese, potassium. Pasta should not be consumed with bread - it turns out that you are eating two different types of flour processing, thereby increasing the daily calorie content.
Pasta is divided into groups - A, B, C, which, in turn, are divided into the highest, first and second grade. Of course, it is better to choose group A pasta - they are made from durum wheat flour, they retain more fiber and contain less starch. This is important for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes - wholemeal pasta is lower. People with should choose pasta made from buckwheat and rice flour.
The color of the paste may vary depending on the dyes in the dough. Pasta is green (with spinach), purple (with beets), red (with carrots), orange (with pumpkin), black (with cuttlefish ink or truffle). Macaroni is a good side dish for meat, fish, poultry, cheese. Pay attention to the cooking time indicated on the package: the longer it is, the healthier the pasta is. Pasta is best cooked to al dente, that is, undercooked. So the body will digest them longer, and you will stay full. Remember: not from pasta, but from large portions and fatty sauces. It is preferable to use tomato, low-fat meat or fish sauce.
In this article:
Pasta can differ from each other not only in appearance, but also in variety - more precisely, in the raw material from which they were produced. On the packages you can find inscriptions of the following content: “made from premium flour” or “durum wheat is used”. In the first case, the main component is obtained by grinding parts of the grain, and in the second - from whole wheat.
The main varieties of pasta
For the classification of pasta, there are standards according to which they are divided into groups and varieties. Moreover, for the manufacture of group A pasta, durum wheat is used, and for all the rest, soft wheat.
In many countries (in particular, in Italy), products are made exclusively from hard varieties.
Consider in more detail the characteristics of the varieties:
- group A: durum wheat (highest, first and second grade);
- group B: soft wheat (highest and first grade);
- group B: wheat baking flour (highest and first grade).
Distinguish according to the method of preparation egg And dry products. Pasta is produced in different shapes, sizes and diameters.
They are divided into 5 groups according to their form:
- long pasta (Fig. 2);
- short pasta (Fig. 3);
- pasta for baking (Fig. 4);
- small pasta for soups (Fig. 5);
- curly pasta (Fig. 6).
The most popular representative of long pasta are spaghetti with a characteristic circular cross section and a length of more than 15 cm. In our country, bucatini- rather thin spaghetti with holes.
Tagliatelle and fettuccine are very similar in appearance and are a type of noodle that looks like long flat ribbons.
In turn, short and curly pasta are divided into tubular (horns, feathers), filiform (vermicelli) and ribbon products (noodles). It is worth mentioning in this variety and voluminous products with complex configurations (ears, shells, stars, rings and much more).
European pasta names differ from our products in their original shape. So, farfalle is made in the form of butterflies, and our people are simply called bows.
Pasta for baking is associated with many housewives with lasagna- large sheets for preparing a popular dish.
Huge pipes - cannelloni(diameter 3 cm) can also be stuffed and baked.
Well-made pasta has a taste and smell, and the absence of bitterness, mold and mustiness is a prerequisite. Their color is characterized by uniformity with a yellow tint. During the cooking process, pasta should not stick together, form lumps and lose its original shape. The shelf life of pasta is as follows: without additives - for 2 years, with egg and tomato components - 1 year; with wheat germ - only 3 months.
Improving the assortment of pasta is carried out by introducing into the recipe not quite traditional raw materials, namely food additives, dyes and new types of flour. Vitamin and mineral supplements can be used to improve the quality of the product and meet the growing needs of customers.
Healing pasta
Every year the assortment of pasta products will expand due to the increase in the content of useful substances and the creation of fundamentally new types of products for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. For the dietary nutrition of people with kidney failure, special pasta is being developed. Protein-free products are made from corn starch with the addition of B vitamins.
Such products have a neutral taste without a characteristic odor.
For therapeutic and prophylactic action, pasta is also produced:
- enriched with calcium (edible chalk or shells);
- with a high content of bran, whole grains or wheat germ;
- vegetable mosaic (with the addition of tomato paste, spinach and sorrel, carrots);
- enriched with herbal supplements.
The last variety of pasta may contain grape skin supplements- they are intended to strengthen immunity, increase the body's defenses and improve the general condition of a person as a whole. Pumpkin or apple bioadditives give the pasta an amber color. A diet with their content is recommended for cholelithiasis, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and cardiac activity.
In some countries it is customary to issue better tasting pasta when the package contains a tablet of table salt, vegetable concentrate, monosodium glutamate, caramel, garlic, pepper, flour, soy sauce and glucose. Products made from whole grains and with a variety of fillings (meat and vegetables) are also popular. Pasta seasoned with garlic or coffee is no longer a novelty, and breakfast cereals, the so-called "pasta chips", are useful from time to time.
Long-term storage pasta is quite common, when the finished product is placed in a heat-resistant package and irradiated with infrared rays (3 minutes). Under their influence, the products are sterilized, and the shelf life is significantly increased.
The main advantages and benefits of pasta
The demand for pasta is easily explained, because they are characterized by speed of preparation and affordable price. Moreover, the image of the product is gradually changing. Even 10 years ago, they were considered far from the most healthy dish and were not recommended for the category of people who followed a diet. Today they rightfully have the honorary status of a healthy product, largely due to the fashion for Italian dishes. Pasta sales volumes increase significantly during crises, when the population stocks up for future use with this product with a long shelf life and at an affordable price.
Currently there are special pasta diets, because the high level of digestibility of essential nutrients (proteins and carbohydrates) by the body gives a feeling of satiety for a long period of time and prevents weight gain. For these purposes, it is desirable to choose whole grain pasta, which is especially rich in nutrients and fiber, vitamins and phytonutrients.
According to studies, a direct relationship between the presence of whole grains in the diet and the process of weight normalization has been scientifically proven. In order for whole grain pasta to bring maximum benefits to the body, it is recommended to eat it with vegetables and leafy greens.
Today there is dozens of types of pasta, many of which are served exclusively with a specific sauce or dish. Quite often in recipes there are unfamiliar names of pasta, which can be safely replaced with an analogue from one category. The bizarre shapes and quality of the product never cease to amaze real gourmets and ordinary connoisseurs of delicious food.
Pasta is usually made from dough kneaded with wheat flour and water. However, sometimes rice flour, buckwheat or starch is used in their preparation. Usually, pasta is called dried products, which subsequently require cooking. Who first came up with the idea to dry the dough, thus preserving it for a long time, is not exactly known. Various versions lead to Egypt, Greece, China, and some sources refer to Etruscan times, but the facts testifying in their favor are not very convincing.
In order to classify varieties of pasta, there are standards in Russia. In accordance with them, based on the varieties of flour and wheat, pasta is divided into groups (A, B, C) and varieties (highest, first, second). Moreover, for group A, durum is used - durum wheat, and for the rest - soft. Such pasta has a lower glycemic index. For some countries, in particular for Italy and, accordingly, Italian pasta, the use of only durum wheat is typical.
Pasta can be divided into tubular (actual pasta) and whole (spaghetti, fettuccine). Depending on the cooking method, dry products and fresh products (gnocchi, noodles and pasta at home) can be distinguished. Many shapes and sizes of pasta can be divided into five volume groups. These are long products, short, curly (shells, bows, horns), small (mainly for soups, for example, vermicelli) and pasta intended for baking. 
"Family" of long pasta
The most famous long pasta is spaghetti. Their average length is 25 cm, although initially they reached half a meter, and a thickness of about 2 mm (thinner spaghettini, thicker spaghettoni). Naples (Italy) is considered their homeland, and in the city of Pontedassio there is a museum dedicated to these “twine pieces”, with which Antonio Viviani compared them when he gave them the name spaghetti. Interestingly, a special fork was invented for this type of pasta in 1700.
Long, thin, rounded pasta is called capellini (Kapellini). There are also more poetic names - "Hair of Venus" or "Hair of an Angel." Another type of thin pasta is vermicelli. Its name comes from the Italian word "verme", which means "worm", but the vermicelli did not immediately receive this name. In the 14th century, in different cities of Italy they were called differently: orati, minutelli, fermentini, pancardelle.
There are several types of pasta that look like thin flat strips that differ in recipe and width. Tagliatelle are about 5mm wide, Fettuccine are about 7mm wide. There are also Linguine, Bucatini, Pappardelle - egg noodles, Bavette and Mafaldine. 
short pasta
Rotini (Rotini) outwardly resemble spaghetti spirals. Longer, but, just like rotini. twisted in spirals - fusilli (Fusille). Cellentani are also spiral tubes. Maccheroni are slightly bent tubes of small size.
Penne pasta (Penne) are both smooth and ribbed. Outwardly, they look like a hollow tube with oblique sections. Pipe rigate (Pipe rigate) are tubules twisted in a semicircle. Their shape allows liquid to be retained inside, so they are used in combination with a wide variety of sauces. 
Cannelloni, translated from Italian, means "large reed" and are large long pipes. Pasta dishes sometimes get their names from the type of pasta used in it. For example, manicotti (Manicotti) are similar to cannelloni, but smaller. A dish made from this pasta has an independent name - manicotti. The same can be said about a dish called lasagna, which is based on baking sheets.
For soups, small pasta is used, for example, anelli (Anelli) - rings, stelline (Stelline) - stars, filini (Filini) - short threads. Children's favorite letters are the letters of the alphabet. Sometimes only by preparing a soup with letters, you can "persuade" the child to eat it. 
Pasta with a "figure"
This group of pasta includes all products that have interesting shapes, for which they received beautiful names. Caserecce - pasta-horns, farfalle - butterflies, and farfallini - small butterflies, campanelle - bells.
Shell pasta or conchile are suitable for stuffing. The same shells, but smaller, will be called conchigliette, larger - conchiglione. Corrugated shell pasta is called gnocchi.
Sophia Loren is famous for pasta
Sophia Loren was 72 years old when she ventured nude for a Pirelli calendar, even though she is famous for pasta. However, among Russians, it is still believed that pasta makes them fat. In fact, their benefit or harm depends on how you choose pasta. Here are some rules.
When choosing Russian pasta, you need to make sure that they are made in accordance with GOST and belong to group A. The composition indicated on the package should contain water and flour. What is sold "by weight" is not worth paying attention to. The right pasta can only be found in packages.
Outwardly, the pasta should be smooth, have a moderately golden color. There should be no “flour” and fragments of pasta in the pack. They should bend easily, break with difficulty. When cooking, high-quality pasta is distinguished by the absence of water staining and shape changes. They don't stick.
Pasta is a wonderful product: tasty, inexpensive, easy and quick to prepare. No wonder pasta dishes are so loved by people in all countries. In Japan, long pasta is sure to accompany the New Year, being a symbol of longevity.
Pasta(more often just pasta) - long, fiber-like dough products (usually made from wheat flour with water). Rice flour, buckwheat flour, mung bean starch, and other foodstuffs are also sometimes used. Usually pasta is stored dry and boiled before consumption. Sometimes other ingredients are added to the dough, for example: dyes (tomato paste, spinach, cuttlefish ink and others), eggs.
Often the term "pasta" refers only to dried dough products. However, some dough products that are boiled are prepared not only from dry, but also from freshly prepared dough (for example: noodles, gnocchi, beshbarmak). There is no exact, unambiguous and generally accepted classification of dough products. In Italian pasta and some other flour products called paste(Italian Pasta), apparently from late. lat. pasta "dough" (possibly derived from the Greek παστη "flour gravy") is a homogeneous mushy mass, but in Russian this word has a different meaning.
In the cuisine of the Slavic peoples, several flour dishes are known that resemble the Italian “dough”: noodles, lazanki, dumplings, straps, dumplings.
Classification of pasta
The raw materials used affect, in accordance with Russian standards, the division of pasta into groups A, B, C (depending on the type of wheat) and the highest, first and second grades (depending on the type of flour):
- group A: made from durum wheat flour (durum) of the highest, first and second grades.
- group B: made from flour of soft vitreous wheat of the highest and first grades.
- group B: made from wheat flour of the highest and first grades.
Durum wheat varieties have a higher gluten content and a lower starch content than soft wheat. Pasta made from them has a lower glycemic index.
In some countries (for example, in Italy), pasta is allowed to be made only from durum wheat (similar to group A in Russia).
By cooking method Distinguish between fresh, usually egg, and dry products.
By degree of readiness pasta can vary depending on its type and local traditions. In Italy, the standard is cooking to the degree of al dente (“on the tooth”, that is, the very middle of the product remains slightly undercooked and hard. In some countries, including Russia, products prepared in this way may seem half-baked).
A large and perhaps the most common group of pasta is whole (spaghetti) or tubular (pasta) products, at least 15 cm long, with a very small, usually 1-2 mm, diameter of the product (or its wall thickness, if tubular) .
IN Italy different types of pasta are named according to their shape and size.
The ending in the name indicates the size of the product:
- oni - large
- ette or etti - small
- ini are small.
According to the form, pasta is divided into five groups:
- long pasta
- short pasta
- pasta for baking
- Filled dough th
long pasta
- Bavette(ital. Bavette) - similar to flattened spaghetti - originally from Liguria.
- capellini(Italian Capellini; from Italian capello - hair) - the name comes from the north of Central Italy, translated from Italian as "hair", "thin hair" (1.2 mm - 1.4 mm). It is also sometimes called: "Angel's hair" (Capelli d'angelo) or "Hair of Venus" (Capelvenere).
- Vermicelli(Italian ‘Vermicelli; from Italian verme - worm) - long, rounded and rather thin (1.4 mm - 1.8 mm).
- Spaghetti(Italian Spaghetti; from Italian spaghe - string) - long, rounded and rather thin (1.8 mm - 2.0 mm). They were originally 50 cm long. Now, for convenience, this has been reduced to about 25 cm, but you can also find long spaghetti (Manufacturers usually put them in the “special format” section).
- Spaghettini- thinner than spaghetti.
- spaghettoni- thicker than spaghetti.
- Maccheroncini(ital. Maccheroncini) - are somewhere between spaghetti and bavette.
- Bucatini(Italian Bucatini).
- Tagliatelle(Italian Tagliatelle) - thin and flat strips of egg dough about 5 mm wide. Differing from fettuccine, mainly only in a smaller width (the difference is at least 2 mm).
- Fettuccine(Italian Fettuccine) - thin flat strips of dough about 7 mm wide.
- Mafaldin(Italian Mafaldine) - a long ribbon with wavy edges. Mafaldine were invented in Naples and were once called "Rich Fettuccine". The Neapolitans invented them specifically for Princess Mafalda of Savoy and subsequently dubbed them "Reginette" (Reginette - princess, literally translated) or "Mafaldina" in her honor.
- Linguine(Italian Linguine) - long, thin strips of noodles.
- Pappardelle(Italian: Pappardelle) - 13 mm wide flat noodle ribbons, originally from Tuscany.
short pasta
- Fusilli- fusilli - originally from northern Italy. The name comes from the word "fuso", from the Italian "spindle", with which wool was spun. The shape of the Fusilli resembles three blades fastened together and twisted in a spiral.
- Girandole- Girandole - are considered the younger sisters of Fusilli. Girandole got its name for its resemblance to a children's toy - a multi-colored spinner. They are shorter and take less time to cook.
- Penne- penne - Rigate (ribbed), Lisce (smooth), Piccole (small) - all Penne have a characteristic dynamic shape of a hollow tube with oblique cuts, in the manner of a sharpened old pen, in comparison with the usual straight classic pasta.
- pipe rigate- pipe rigate. Some believe that this format of pasta belongs to the Roman gastronomic culture, while others suggest that it first appeared in north-central Italy. People call them snails. They resemble tubules in shape, twisted in a semicircle so that the sauce is kept inside. Due to their shape, Pipe Rigates go well with a wide variety of sauces, which are perfectly retained on the ribbed surface and inside, in order to reveal the taste of all ingredients directly on contact with the palate. That is why Pipe Rigate is successfully used in combination with even the lightest sauces. Brilliant protagonists of almost all culinary experiments, Pipe Rigate goes well with simple yet flavorful sauces. A particularly delicious result is obtained by combining Pipe Rigata with sauces made from vegetables or cheeses, which, falling inside the curved shape, will allow you to slowly enjoy their taste. They also go well with thick, flavorful sauces, such as mushroom, sausage, and hot red pepper sauces.
- Tortiglioni- Tortiglione - one of the first forms of pasta invented in Naples - short tubules with a characteristic pattern, from which they got their name - "tortiglione" - spiraling grooves that remain after processing on a lathe.
- Maccheroni- maccheroni - small thin tubes, slightly bent.
- Cellentani- cellentani - spiral tubes.
pasta for baking
- cannelloni- cannelloni - tubules up to 30 mm in diameter and up to 100 mm long, one of the first types of pasta invented by people. Since ancient times, they were made from dough mixed with water from ground grain and salt, then the dough was rolled out and cut into rectangles, on which the filling was placed, rolled up and then boiled.
- Lasagne- lasagna - Rectangular baking sheets. Lasagna sheets are alternated with the filling and baked in the oven for 20 minutes. Unlike other types of dough, it does not need to be pre-boiled.
- Anelli- anelli - miniature rings for soups.
- Stelline- stelline - asterisks.
- Orecchiete- small items in the form of ears.
- filini- thin short threads.
- « letters».
- Farfalle- farfalle - butterflies.
- Farfallette or Farfallini- smaller butterflies.
- Conchiglie- conchile - products in the form of shells; suitable for filling. There are smooth (lische) and corrugated (rigate).
- conciliette- smaller shells.
- Conchiglioni- conchiglioni (large shells).
- Gemelli- thin spirals or bundles with hollow ends.
- Caserecce- horns.
- Campanelle- bells with a wavy edge.
- Gnocchi or cavatelli- corrugated shells.
- Ravioli- an analogue of Russian dumplings, Ukrainian dumplings, etc.
- Agnolotti- rectangular and crescent-shaped envelopes with traditional meat filling
- capeletti- small stuffed products in the shape of a hat.
- Tortellini- an analogue of dumplings, only with a peculiar filling, for example, with cheese, with ham and cheese, even with ricotta and spinach.
- Cannelloni- large tubes designed for filling with minced meat.
Pasta is common all over the world and is the basis of many dishes. Widely used, among others, in Italian, East Asian and vegetarian cuisine.
Nutritional and energy value
In accordance with Russian standards, 100 g of pasta (not cooked) should contain from 10.4 to 12.3 (in soy - 14.3) g of protein, from 1.1 to 2.1 (in dairy - 2, 9) g of fat, from 64.5 to 71.5 g of carbohydrates. Energy value - from 327 to 351 kcal.
In Italy, a plate of pasta (85 g is a portion per person) should contain approximately:
In a bowl of pasta: Daily Value:
Kilocalories 297 2000
Proteins 10.2g 75g
Fats 1.3g 67g
Saturated fats 0.3g 22g
Carbs 61.4g 275g
Sugar 0.9g 30g
Dietary fiber 2.5g 30g
Sodium 2mg 2.4mg
pasta dishes
pasta
Naval pasta
Lasagna with bacon, spinach and mushrooms
Spaghetti with asparagus and ham
Tuscan Cannelloni
Mediterranean pasta with basil
Meat lasagna with eggplant
Tagliatelle with smoked salmon
Spaghetti with bolognese sauce
Pasta with cheese and zucchini sauce with garlic flavor
Pasta baked with mozzarella
Penne Salad with Dried Tomatoes
Pasta - tagliatelle with mushrooms
Pasta with broccoli and asparagus
Pasta with summer vegetables and herbs
Salad with noodles, shrimps and ginger
Pasta with lemon, basil and ricotta
Spaghetti with olive and caper sauce
Spaghetti with shrimps
Pasta with broccoli in creamy cheese sauce
Fusilli with herbs and tomatoes
Ramen.
A source of information:
Wikipedia - http://ru.wikipedia.org/
Pasta- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
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