How did iconic pasta shapes get created?

January 31, 2025 by
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Until fairly recently, I took pasta shapes for granted. I never thought about when, why, or how different shapes came about, to me they just always were. That is silly, of course, because everything has an origin story, regardless of whether it has been lost to history. The good news is that for many iconic shapes, their origin stories are known, and even though hundreds already exist, new pasta shapes are still being invented.

Cavatappi with sun-dried tomatoes, Brie & arugula from Food52

While long pasta like spaghetti was mechanized as far back as the 1500s, prior to the late 1800s most short tubular shapes were made by hand, mainly by women at home. During the Industrial Revolution, advancements were made in the pasta extruding process and in the drying process, leading to an explosion of hundreds of different shapes, including many that are still around today. Bronze and nickel dies were impervious to the moisture of the dough and could produce large quantities of pasta in a short time.

The Food and Wine article linked above dives into eight specific shapes including penne, which was perfected in 1865 by Giovanni Battista Capurro, a pasta-maker from the Genoa area who patented a machine that could cut the penne shape without flattening the ends. It would take 59 more years before commercial fusilli came into being. The frilly spiral shape, which had traditionally been made by hand with a metal reed, made its commercial debut in 1924.

More recently, Dan Pashman of The Sporkful podcast and author of Anything’s Pastable (review by Jenny of book and pasta) went on a three-year quest to invent a new pasta shape called cascatelli, which means “little waterfalls” in Italian. You can listen to a five-part series on the journey to create this new shape, which Pashman wanted to possess the “optimal ability to stay on a fork, grip sauce, and retain a firm texture.” I have yet to try cascatelli, but my favorite tubular pasta is cavatappi and for long shapes it’s fedelini. What are your favorite pasta shapes?

Category: Antipasto

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7 Comments

  • FuzzyChef  on  February 1, 2025

    I’ve tried cascatelli; wasn’t impressed. The shape is too complex and it doesn’t cook evenly.

  • smartingreece  on  February 1, 2025

    I live in Greece but in the Ionian which has a lot of Italians visit so from time to time we get interesting pasta shapes on the shelf. My current favorite is Fusili COrti Bucati but I also love Bucatini and plain old Spaghetti.

  • JimCampbell  on  February 1, 2025

    Favorite shapes………hmm………Angel Hair for straight pasta with thinner sauces. Orecchiette or Cavatappi for thicker sauces. Orzo, my go-to alternative to rice.

  • TeresaRenee  on  February 2, 2025

    Radiatori – little radiator shapes

    They are great at holding meat sauces and are perfect for my favourite quick pasta: pasta + sour cream + Parmesan + black pepper. Unfortunately, they are hard to find these days.

  • innerharbors  on  February 14, 2025

    Is it too basic to claim rigatoni as my very favorite. God I love rigatoni.

  • SierraMtnGirl  on  February 14, 2025

    My favorite shapes are Conchiglie and Radiatori, and also Tromboni, all made here in the states by Etto Pasta. I’ve bought Radiatori online at Amazon and the others at their store in Paso Robles. True organic Italian pasta makes every dish delicious.

  • JJH  on  February 16, 2025

    I was recently served pappardelle with saffron cream by a friend. Now pappardelle is my new favorite.

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