The moment we hear about pasta and macaronis, we think of Italy. Yes, pastas and macaronis are the staple food for the Italians. But what is so special about Italian pasta and how to identify Italian pasta and macaroni? While there are no hard and fast rules or techniques for identifying Italian pasta and macaroni, the following points more or less give some guidance on how a typical plate of Italian pasta would be like.

Shapes:

The Italian pasta and macaronis have evolved a long way and as a result, we find the vastest variety of pastas in Italian cuisine. It offers the widest range of shapes, sizes and types of pasta and macaronis. Campanelle (small bell-sized), Ditalini (little thimbles), Farfelle (bow tied shape), Fettucine (small ribbons), Spaghetti, Fusilli (twisted spaghetti), Lasagna, Macaroni, Manicotti (small muffs), Orecchiette (small ear shaped), ravioli are just to name a few types. Depending on your choice and the dish that you have in mind, you can choose any shape and size and start making your pastas and macaronis.

Again, for a typical Italian, pastas have two broad categories – dried and fresh. Dry pasta uses no eggs and is made from durum wheat flour or durum wheat semolina. Fresh pasta, on the other hand, contains eggs in them. But both these varieties are equally popular throughout Italy.

Cooking Style:

Italian cuisine has a few distinctive traits, and knowing these is also a smart way of identifying Italian pasta and macaroni. A traditional Italian pasta or macaroni is always cooked “al dente” (that is, “firm to bite”) and as such, should not be too soft or overcooked. Non-Italian pasta, which is usually made up of other kinds of flours, like the wheat flour, yield a much softer pasta and hence, can never be “al dente”. So, if a plate of soft, well-cooked pasta is served to you, while it may taste averagely well, you know deep within that it is not an “Italian Pasta”.

Ingredients:

Italian pasta and macaronis also have a distinctively Italian way of being cooked, and knowing this also helps a lot in identifying Italian pasta and macaroni. For example, an authentic plate of Italian pasta will always have lots of vegetables and meat in it. At the same time, olive oil and oregano are the two must-have ingredients of Italian pasta. Again, cheese is an important ingredient of Italian pasta, without which, the recipe simply loses its identity. Similarly, there are other ingredients as well which are typically used in Italian cuisine, especially for making Italian pastas and macaronis, and being able to identify these is a sure-shot way of successfully identifying Italian pasta and macaroni.

Thus, while there are no basic rules for identifying Italian pasta and macaroni, keeping these tips in mind surely helps you to know the typical traits of Italian cooking style and lets you identify a plate of Italian pasta or macaroni almost the very moment you taste it.

Photo Courtesy: mammas-italian-recipes.com