Fresh pasta, in Italy, is a true institution. Every region has its format and recipe, its own traditions and its condiments, but at the foundations are the same ingredients: water, wheat flour and, some time, eggs. Let us find out about the origins of fresh pasta and what are the typical formats for every region.
Fresh pasta, in Italy, is a serious thing. So serious that in addition to being regulated by years and years of tradition, there is also an actual law that regulates its production, Decree n. 580 of 4 July 1967.
But what do we mean by fresh pasta? Unlike the so-called dry pasta you find on the market – and which constitutes at least 90% of the pasta consumed by Italians – fresh pasta (as the name suggests) is a trype of pasta made on the spot and that is generally to be eaten within a few days.
Fresh pasta is usually prepared with a mix of water and flour, with or without eggs depending on the type of pasta.
How does fresh pasta come to be?
Since the beginning of times, the tradition to prepare water and flour doughs has been part of our culinary heritage. In ancient times – and still now where tradition is still kept alive – pasta was hand made.
The reason was very simple: water, flours and eggs were the easister and chipest products to find, but also those that provided more energy to those who – such as peasants – spent their time working the fields.
It would seem that the first shape of pasta, due to the facility of the preparation, was the gnocco, from which all the other shapes that we know today derived, almost all of them local versions.
Then the sfoglie came to be, a kind of pasta rolled to be filled and then cooked, giving life to many dishes that still today are part of our tradition: lasagne and stuffed pastas.
Fresh pasta: the traditional shapes of every region
The tradition of fresh pasta, in Italy, comes with a lot of characteristics and thinks to consider. There are hundreds of them, of every kind, and every family, in every location, prepares them according to their family traditions, creating increasingly different products, that usually go well with local condiments.
Let us begin from Valle d’Aosta, where you can find the typical chestnut fettuccine, then in Lombardia there are the tortelli and bigoli, and in Piemonte there are the agnolotti. In the Liguria region you will find the trofie with pesto which are a true institution, whilst in Trentino you get to eat the spatzle, a kind of fresh pasta that crumbles as you put in boiling water.
In Veneto you will find once more the bigoli and in Friuli the gnocchi, but it is only by moving closer to Emilia Romagna that we find – literally – the home to egg pasta. It is right here, in fact, that the production of fresh pasta represents a true must for anyone you meet. Every chef offers their own takes on cappelletti, lasagne, maltagliati, passatelli, strozzapreti, tagliatelle, tortellini… and whatever you can think of! All of which coupled with a great traditional ragù alla bolognese.
But the Centre and the South of Italy have their own typical shapes of fresh pasta. In the Marche region we can find sagne and maccheroncini of Campofilone, whilst in Tuscany we can opt for a nice plate of pici. In Umbria there are the pappardelle and the stangozzi, whilst in Abbruzzo there are the ceppe and the maccheroni alla chitarra.
In Lazio bucatini are the typical shape – usually cooked in the amatriciana style – and the gnocchi alla romana, while in Molise there are i cicatelli and the taccozze. And in the South? Well, Puglia offers us the famous orecchiette, Calabria the Cannarozzi, while in Basilicata we can find the bucce di mandorla.
In Campania we find the scialatielli, in Sicily the busiate and in Sardegna the typical culurgiones.
Cover Image: tasto