Would you eat a pasta called “priest-strangler”? Turns out, you may have already. Pasta names often come from old Italian, and their meanings are as diverse as their shapes. SLM dug into the origins of some well-known and lesser-known pastas, and where the noodles show up at St. Louis restaurants (and grocers such as Viviano’s on the Hill). From “butterfly” to “trachea,” the following names might surprise you.
Strozzapreti (stroh-tzuh-PRAY-tee)
Translation: “Priest-Choker” or “Priest-Strangler”
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In a Nutshell: Legend has it that gluttonous priests craved a savory pasta. They ate it too quickly and choked, sometimes resulting in death. Another anecdote is that the pasta looks like a clerical collar, or a “Priest Choker.”
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Pastaria’s house-made Strozzapreti with Pastaria Bolognese and Grana Padano
Farfalle (far-FALL-lay)
Translation: “Butterflies”
In a Nutshell: This one is pretty self-explanatory, but the winged-shaped pasta you often see on your plate comes from an Italian word meaning “butterflies.” The noodles are also said to resemble bowties.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Kemoll’s Farfalle con Vongole with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley, and fresh clams
Fussilli (foo-ZEE-lee)
Translation: “Length of material along which a small flame moves to explode a bomb or a firework”
In a Nutshell: Fusilli look like their explosive namesake. The spiral-shaped noodles are perfect for catching sauce rather than a flame.
Where to Find It In St. Louis: Il Bel Lago’s Fussilli Quattro Formaggi with ham, peas, romano, fontinella, parmigiano, and bleu cheese in cream sauce
Gemelli (jay-MEL-lee)
Translation: “Twins”
In a Nutshell: Gemelli pasta consists of two sides, which perfectly reflects its meaning. The pasta’s name shares its origins with the Latin for “Gemini,” or the astrological sign denoting the twins.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Bar Italia Ristorante’s Gemelli Bolognese with ground veal, tomato, cream, and parmigiano
Linguine (lin-GWEE-nee)
Translation: Linguine comes from the diminutive version of “Lingua,” or “tongue,” in Italian. French speakers might also recognize the word in “langue,” or language/tongue.
In a Nutshell: Perhaps the Italians thought the noodle looked like a tongue, or maybe they just wanted to talk about how delicious it is. In St. Louis, the so called “flat spaghetti” may appear on more menus than spaghetti itself.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Del Pietro’s Linguine Vongole, or linguinie and clams, with olive oil, garlic, and Italian parsley
Tagliatelle (tah-lyah-TELL-eh)
Translation: From “Tagliare,” “to cut”
In a Nutshell: Tagliatelle consists of long, thinly cut ribbons, which is probably how they got their name.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Retreat Gastropub’s tagliatelle with Midwest Pasta Company fresh pasta, mushroom, spinach, tomato, fresh herbs, white wine sauce
Pappardelle (pa-par-DAY-lay)
Translation: From “Pappare,” or “eat hungrily” or “gobble up”
In a Nutshell: Pappardelle is often served in winter, when people want to inhale a warm, comforting meal, so it makes sense that the pasta would get its name from a verb that essentially means to devour food.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Prasino’s Pappardelle with chicken confit, roasted tomato, squash, baby spinach, and roasted garlic butter
Garganelli (gar-guh-NAY-lee)
Translation: “Trachea”
In a Nutshell: Named for its unique shape, garganelli is said to look like a throat.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Napoli 2’s house-made garganelli with salcissia and pesto cream sauce
Tortellini (tore-tuh-LEE-nee)
Translation: “Belly Button”
In a Nutshell: Italians admire the human body, so it’s no surprise that one of the country’s pasta noodles, tortellini, is named for the belly button. The small, round pasta resembles the body part it describes.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Element’s house-made roasted butternut squash tortellini
Chitarra (kee-TAHR-uh)
Translation: “Guitar”
In a Nutshell: Chitarra is named after the guitar, because it looks like strings on the instrument.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Louie’s house-made chitarra with tomato, basil, chili, and grana padano
Agnolotti (ah-nyuh-LAHT-tee)
Translation: “Agnolotti” is said to be named after an Italian cook called Angiolino, or “Angelot,” who invented the recipe for the pasta.
In a Nutshell: As The Studious Foodies points out (and many St. Louisans might guess), “Agnolotti is a type of ravioli. It’s from a specific region of Italy known as the Piedmont region. Agnolotti can be a square (that’s the traditional manner of making it),” but locally, at restaurants like Sardella and Louie, they’re crescent-shaped.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Sardella’s fresh ‘carbonara’ agnolotti with French black truffle, Pecorino, egg yolk, and butter
Cavatappi (cah-vah-TOP-pee)
Translation: “Corkscrew”
In a Nutshell: True to its name, cavatappi comes in a spiral tube shape. Just don’t try to use it to open a wine bottle.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Eleven Eleven Mississippi’s house-made cavatappi pasta with house made sausage, spinach, tomatoes, garlic, and goat cheese cream
Paccheri (puh-CARE-ree)
Translation: “Slap”
In a Nutshell: The word “paccheri” has Greek origins but means “open-handed slap” in Italian. Some say the pasta got its name from the sound it makes when sauce is poured on top. According to food lore, Southern Italian pasta makers invented the pasta to smuggle Italian garlic to overthrow the Prussian garlic industry. One thing’s for sure: These hearty noodles pack a powerful punch.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Cielo’s Paccheri with tomato coulis, provolone, and burrata, and smoked eggplant
Perciatelli (pear-chuh-TELL-lee)
Translation: “Pierced”
In a Nutshell: Also known as bucatini, perciatelli comes from Neapolitan Italian “perciato” which means “pierced.” The name reflects the pasta’s shape, which comprises long, thin, tubular strands that are open on either end.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Katie’s Pizza and Pasta Osteria’s house-made Straw & Kay Perciatelli with fiama sausage, buttered tomato, arugula, and whipped ricotta
Ziti (ZEE-tee)
Translation: “Macaroni of the Bride”
In a Nutshell: A medium-sized, tube-shaped pasta, popular at weddings. Enough said.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Frank Papa’s ziti with spicy marinara sauce with pancetta, bacon, onions, kalamata olives, touch of anchovies
Penne (PEN-nay)
Translation: “Feather” or “Quill”
In a Nutshell: Smooth or ridged (rigate) and similar to ziti, but with an angled end. Its larger cousin, mostaccioli, is popular at St. Louis weddings.
Where to Find It in St. Louis: Lorenzo’s Eggplant Penne with eggplant, capers, kalamata olives, and fresh mozzarella in tomato sauce
