Different types of Pastas @ packyfoods.com

Fusilli – Pasta spirals which are marvelous for catching little globules of sauce within their coils. Their excellent shape also makes them an ideal pasta for serving cold in salads. Fusilli was one of the first shapes to be available as tricoloured pasta. The colours are usually yellow, green and red.

Macaroni-It comes in various thicknesses but always has a hole in the middle. It’s said that the holy Roman Emperor Frederick II was so fond of its shape that he named it macaroni after Marcus; it was known as the divine dish.

Spaghetti - Long, fine strands that are, without doubt, the most popular shape in the world. Available in different thicknesses. Italian spaghetti, though, has the beat texture.

Vermicelli – One of the Italian names for the pasta that is referred to as fine noodles in China. Another Italian name is capellini, and the very finest variety is called Capelli d’ angelo, or angel hair. Vermicelli is used in soups or broken up in sweet dishes, and may also be used to create pasta nests which are deep fried and then used as baskets for serving ‘designer’ savoury dishes.

Tagliatelle – Thin ribbons of dough only about 6 mm and 3.4 cm thick. An excellent vehicle for any number of sauces. Easier to eat than spaghetti as, being flat, it doesn’t slide off a fork so easily.

Lasagne - Broad sheets of pasta most frequently used for baking in a dish of meat, fish or vegetable sauce which is usually topped with a white sauce and grated cheese. Lasagne is best boiled before it is baked. Do this a few sheets at a time – too many and the pasta will stick together in the pan.

Cannelloni – These tubes are easily made at home from a basic lasagne, then par-boiled and dried over a broom handle specifically for pasta-making before stuffing.

Ravioli – Little parcels of pasta, usually with a savoury filling. A sheet of pasta is laid over a tin and filling is added. A second sheet of pasta is rolled over the first and a rolling pin is passed over the top. The dough is then sealed at the sides, and cooked in a soup or plain boiling water. Ravioli is always served in a sauce.