Recently we’ve been reviewing some of the lesser-known pasta shapes featured on Pasta Grannies. Do you remember these? Have you ever tried to make them? If you want to eat them, you’d probably have to try; you definitely won’t find them in a supermarket, and you might even struggle even when in the specific villages these come from. They’re regional, slightly quirky, and full of character.
Sthridhlja (Calabria)
A twisted handmade pasta with a tricky name but nevertheless delicious. It gets its influence from neighbouring Albania, and the strands of dough are rolled and twisted into uneven shapes. It’s quick to make once you know how, but impossible to standardise. Maybe take a mouthful of this instead of trying to pronounce it!? Watch Maria’s Recipe here.
Andarinos (Sardinia)
Tiny spiral fusilli made by Francesca in Sardinia are rolled by hand into tight coils—small, precise, and surprisingly time-consuming as you can see here.
Cassatelle a Spiga (Sicily)
Sicilian pasta that is shaped like ears of wheat. With this one, Bendetta’s pasta shape wasn’t just unusual but also the flavours: they are filled with a sweetened lemony ricotta filling and poached in a garlicky fish broth. ‘Cassatelle in brodo’ is the Italian name for this dish and they’re Sicily’s answer to Sardinia’s ‘culurgiones’.
Gattafin (Liguria)
These Ligurian fried ravioli filled with wild greens are crisp on the outside, soft inside—and offer a more rustic alternative to the traditional boiled pasta. They Adele from Levante adds wild herbs such as dandelion and nettle as well as parmesan and pecorino sardo to hers here.
Maritati (Puglia)
Pasta-in-matrimonio. The “married” pasta is really just a pick and mix of two different opposing shapes: orecchiette (short ‘little ears’) mixed with long strands like minchiareddi (which has a rather rude translation, google it as we don’t want our website to get shut down!). Nina puts anchovies and cime di rape in her dish here.
What’s the most obscure pasta shape you’ve ever eaten? Let us know: hello@pastagrannies.co
