Expert Article

Allegra Vianson

Pasta By Region

A Delicious Journey Through Italia

You have a craving for pasta and now you’re sitting at the “Italian” restaurant you’ve been going to since moving to Los Angeles. You probably order Spaghetti and Meatballs, or if you feel like getting crazy you order the restaurant’s version of Fettuccine Alfredo. While eating the dish, you think to yourself, “Is this really the best Italy’s got?” I am here to relieve you of your total dissatisfaction for America’s awful take on pasta. I can assure you that pasta is much more than boiled noodles thrown in below-average tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese. In fact, there’s an entire realm of Italian cheeses better than Parmesan- but that’s a discussion for another day.

In the last decade, cuisines from countries such as Korea and Japan popularized in the culinary hotbeds of New York and Los Angeles. Innovative ramen shops and expensive sushi joints exploded in cities across the U.S. while established, sub-par Italian restaurants remained stagnant with their boring menus. As other flavors grew in popularity, Italian food suddenly became only associated with thick garlic bread and carbo-loaded pasta (Olive Garden, I’m looking at you). Little do Americans know that there are over 350 different types of pasta, let alone pasta dishes, of which there are thousands. I’m about to transport you to different regions of Italy so you can experience this for yourself.

Italy is divided into 20 regions. Those regions are further divided into provinces and then sectioned into cities. Each city has their own unique pasta dish, and if I were to describe them all, we’d be here forever. For now, I’ll describe regional pasta dishes as we travel through the Northern, Central and Southern regions of beautiful Italia.

North

We start in the region of Piedmonte, sharing its border with France and Switzerland. Known as one of the most exclusive and elegant areas of Italy, you may find yourself sitting on the patio of a castle in the mountains, sipping on a glass of Barolo and enjoying a dish of Agnolotti. Agnolotti is a stuffed pasta with fillings ranging from spinach and ricotta to pork and veal. Often mistaken for ravioli, Agnolotti is made by a single layer of dough folded on itself, while ravioli is two pieces of dough pressed together. Topped with a light Pomodoro sauce and some basil, this dish is perfect balance between fresh and filling.

Further east we reach the region of Lombardia, housing one of the biggest fashion hubs of the world, Milan. After long, exhausting days shopping on the cobble stone streets, you stop by a café and tell the well-groomed waiter “Il Tortelli, per favore.”. Tortelli is a stuffed pasta that can be found in a variety of shapes such as semi-circle or twisted and hat-like (photo below). Most popular is the Tortelli di Zucca, hat-shaped dough filled with pumpkin and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This delicious pasta pairs with a simple mix of butter, salt and pepper, and sage.

In Liguria, the North-Western coast boasts the colorful houses of Cinque Terre above the Mediterranean Sea. After taking a dip you head to a to an umbrella-shaded ristorante and ask for the Trenette al Pesto. The famous pesto sauce comes this region and consists of basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, and olive oil. Trenette is part of the ribbon family of pasta- the dough is rolled thin, narrow and flat. Along with the pesto sauce, the dish is typically accompanied with potatoes and green beans.

Trenette al Pesto
https://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/ricetta/primi/trenette-al-pesto-2/

Agnolotti
https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/agnolotti-recipe

Tortelli di Zucca
 https://www.granarolo.it/ricette/tortelli-di-zucca-alla-salvia 

Central

Traveling south of the border you stumble upon the red stone cathedrals of Bologna in the region of Emilia-Romagna. After sight-seeing the Basilica de San Pertronio, you decide to try out the Tagliatelle al Ragu alla Bolognese. Tagliatelle comes from the family of ribbon pasta. Similar to fettuccine, this pasta consists of flat, long ribbons of dough. The Ragu alla Bolognese is a special meat sauce consisting of pork, beef, and veal, with a minimal amount of tomato sauce.

After traveling through the vineyards of Tuscany, you reach the capital of Italy- Roma. The Colosseum and Basilica are impressive, sure, but you’re really excited to taste the famous Roman Cacio e Pepe. Translating to “Cheese and Pepper”, the dish is exactly that- spaghetti noodles topped with an emulsified sauce of Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper.

Driving through the lush green Apennines Mountains towards the Adriatic Sea, you reach the region of Molise. Strolling the rolling hillsides you stumble upon quant Osteria and decide to place an order of the Cavatelli al Sugo di Maiale. Cavatelli, part of the shaped pasta family, is made from an eggless semolina dough. The dough is molded into little shells and rolled inward to resemble mini hot dog buns. The Cavatelli is topped with a special tomato puree-based sauce mixed with sausage, onions, and pork.

Tagliatelle al Ragu alla Bolognese
 http://www.antonio-carluccio.com/tagliatelle_al_ragu_bolognese/

Cavatelli al Sugo di Maiale
https://www.manusmenu.com/cavatelli-con-ragu-di-maiale

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Cacio e Pepe
  https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/09/foolproof-cacio-e-pepe/ 

South

Heading South-West, you arrive in the coastal city of Naples in Campania. Realizing the quality of seafood in the region, you decide to order the Linguine allo Scoglio. Translating to “Linguine with Seafood”, this dish is a oceanic delight. Linguine, translating to “little tongues”, is a part of the ribbon pasta family. Unlike its flat cousins Fettucine and Tagliatelle, this long pasta takes on an oval shape and is smaller in width. This dish is accompanied by various seafoods such as clams, mussels, and shrimp in a light lemon sauce.

After hearing about the incredible beach clubs of Puglia, you decide to travel down to the “heel” of Italy’s boot to soak up some sun. A waiter reaches your sunbed and asks you what you’d like for lunch and you respond, “Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa, grazie”. Orecchiette, or “little ears”, is a small, round shaped pasta resembling little bowls/ears. The Orecchiette is accompanied by broccoli rabe, Pecorino Romano, red pepper, and garlic.

Ending your trip in the “toe” of Italy’s boot, you head to Sicily’s capital of Palermo. Basking in the sun on the patio of a Trattoria, you ask for the Pasta alla Norma. One of Italy’s most famous pasta dishes, it traditionally consists of Macaroni noodles. These noodles are a shaped pasta resembling narrow, short tubes. The Macaroni is topped with a sauce of tomatoes, deep-fried eggplant, garlic, and Ricotta Salata.

Linguine allo Scogio
   https://www.buonissimo.org/lericette/8232_Linguine_allo_scoglio

Pasta alla Norma
    https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/sicilian-style-pasta

Orecchiette con Cime de Rapa
https://www.foxlife.it/2015/11/07/orecchiette-con-cime-di-rapa   

   

Now that I’ve really got your mouth watering, do yourself a favor and make a reservation at an Italian restaurant with a menu that offers more than breadsticks and lasagna. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Works Cited

Donati, Silvia. “So, How Many Pasta Shapes Are There?” ITALY Magazine, 19 Oct. 2017,

www.italymagazine.com/dual-language/so-how-many-pasta-shapes-are-there/.

Fantozzi, Sienna. “43 Italian Pasta Recipes Beyond Spaghetti & Meatballs.” Delish, 4 Dec. 2018,

www.delish.com/cooking/g4627/italian-pasta-recipes/.

Lake, Gemma Roxanne. “A Region-By-Region Guide To Italian Pasta.” Culture Trip, 18 Mar.

2016, theculturetrip.com/europe/italy/articles/a-region-by-region-guide-to-italian-pasta/.

Streit, Kate. “This Map Of Italy Shows Where All Your Favorite Pasta Dishes Are From.”

Simplemost, 24 May 2018, www.simplemost.com/italy-pasta-dish-map/.