Food and language incorporates the cultural identity of a nation, and when you think of Italy, the lingering taste of Pastas come to your mind. The Italians love their pastas and so do many others across the globe. The base of the pasta is the sauce it is prepared with and cooked.

The level of carbohydrates found in pastas is almost similar to what one finds in rice and potatoes. Just as making the pasta is a gourmet’s delight, eating it is every food buffs passion.

Being a rich source of carbohydrate, Italians consider the cuisine as an important element of a balanced and healthy diet. Especially, when the white pasta is swapped for a whole wheat one.

Just a walk down the aisle of a grocery store or super market gives us a glimpse of different variants of pastas stored on the shelves, you get a measure of the popularity of this Italian fare.

Although many of us our familiar eating pastas, a review of different varieties of pastas adds to our knowledge.

Most Preferred Pastas

Fusilli

The corkscrew appearance of the Fusilli is among st the popular of pastas. Cooked in a zesty sauce, the thick spiral design of the pasta absorbs the sauce, with pieces of meat and vegetables added, it just melts in the mouth, leaving a lingering taste.

Elbow Macaroni Pasta

In its traditional form macaroni is made up of tiny tubes, the only difference is that the elbow macaroni has a different shape resembling little elbows. The shape and size aspect of the pasta makes it a lot easier to cook, and takes less time than the long and chunky pieces of pasta

This pasta is a preferred choice in baked pastas, such as macaroni cheese. It also gives a unique taste added to soups like Minestrone.

Fettucine

Fettucine is a long and flat pasta with a wider width unlike spaghetti which is narrower, most Italian restaurants outside Italy include it in their menu. It is served with a popular sauce known as ‘Alfredo’. This creamy and buttery Parmesan-infused sauce is no longer popular in Italy. The creamy texture of the sauce also blends well with chicken and seafood.

Lasagne

One of the oldest variant of pasta, Lasagne sheets are flat and wide. The singular form of this variant is known as ‘lasagna’, while the plural called ‘lasagne’. It’s exclusively used as an all-in-one baked pasta, and served with a similar name ‘Lasagne’.

Lasagne in its sheet form is used as a alternate layer to separate red sugo or ragu, which is prepared with tomato and other vegetables, with a blend of white bechamel sauce added to it. The final layer of Lasagne has topping of white sauce and grated cheese, it is served like pie.

Spaghetti

Its one of the most popular pasta, Italian kitchens and restaurants around the world serve it as their specialty. The image that flickers in everyone’s mind is of a big chunk of spaghetti in a bowl, with a lavish spread of red tomato sauce and meatballs. In Italy however, it is served without the meat balls, whereas in restaurants elsewhere, meat balls are added to the Spaghetti.

Are the long strands of pasta eaten with a spoon? It’s a never ending debate, in the US food etiquette demands that a spoon be used. But Italians abhor using a spoon, they only use a fork and a plate. The accepted norm it seems, is to fork up the noodles from the edge of the dish, and not in the middle. This prevents awkward moments of too many noodles encasing the fork.

There’s a misconception among many non-Italians that eating spaghetti causes problems. Italians maintain that pasta is usually eaten as an appetizer, and not as a main course, they prefer to serve it with less sauce, while worldwide it is served with a generous spread of sauce. No wonder non-Italians end up staining their clothes nibbling mouthfuls of spaghetti, according to Italians.