 Penne lisce: the exterior of this pasta has a smooth surface. | |
| Type | Pasta |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Main ingredients | Durum |
| Variations | Penne lisce,penne rigate,pennoni, mostaccioli |
Penne (Italian:[ˈpenːne]) are anextruded type ofpasta in the shape of tubular pieces with ends cut at an angle. They are usually made fromwheat flour.
Penne is the plural form of theItalianpenna (meaning "feather", but "pen" as well), deriving fromLatinpenna (meaning "feather" or "quill"), and is acognate of the English word "pen". When this shape was created, it was intended to imitate the then-ubiquitous steelnib offountain anddip pens.[1]
Penne are one of the fewpasta shapes with a certain date of birth: in 1865, Giovanni Battista Capurro, a pasta maker from San Martino d'Albaro (Genoa), obtained a patent for a diagonal cutting machine. His invention cut the fresh pasta into a pen shape without crushing it, in a size varying between 3 cm (1 in)mezze penne (lit. 'half pens') and 5 cm (2 in) penne (lit. 'pens').[1][2]
In Italy, penne are produced in two main variants:penne lisce ("smooth") andpenne rigate ("lined"), the latter having ridges on each penna.Pennoni is a wider version of penne.[3] In English-language contexts, a version is calledmostaccioli ("little moustaches") by various manufacturers, which may be either smooth or ridged in texture.[4][5]
Penne is traditionally cookedal dente and its shape makes it particularly adapted for sauces, such aspesto,marinara orarrabbiata. The latter has been celebrated several times in Italian movies, notably inMarco Ferreri'sLa Grande Bouffe andFederico Fellini'sRoma.[6]
According toVincenzo Buonassisi,Salvatore Fiume won a writer's cooking contest in Gardone with a baked penne rigate dish resembling theItalian flag which was later namedPenne alla Salvatore Fiume. The dish features butter, olive oil, crushed tomatoes,oregano,parmesan,mozzarella, andbasil.[7]
Media related toPenne (pasta) at Wikimedia Commons
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