''Bigoli'' (; Venetian: ''bìgołi'') is an

extruded Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex ...

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

in the form of a long and thick strand. Initially ''bigoli'' were made with

buckwheat flour Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

, but are now more commonly made with

whole-wheat flour Whole-wheat flour (in the US) or wholemeal flour (in the UK) is a powdery substance, a basic food ingredient, derived by grinding or mashing the whole grain of wheat, also known as the wheatberry. Whole-wheat flour is used in baking of breads ...

, and sometimes include

duck eggs Humans and other hominids have consumed eggs for millions of years. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especially chickens. People in Southeast Asia began harvesting chicken eggs for food by 1500 BCE. Eggs of other birds, such a ...

. The preparation is then extruded through a ''bigolaro'', from which the pasta gets its name. ''Bigoli'' is a term used in

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

; a similar type of pasta called ''

pici ''Pici'' (, ) is thick, hand-rolled pasta, like fat spaghetti.''Il Devoto-Oli. Vocabolario della lingua Italiana'', edited by Luca Serianni and Maurizio Trifone, Le Monnier. It originates in the province of Siena, in Tuscany; in the Montalcino ...

'' is produced in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. Tuscan "pici" are similar in their elongated shape, but the preparation process is different. No press is used, instead, they are made by hand, one by one, by rolling a thin strip of dough on a cutting board or between two palms. Eggs are not used in this Tuscan recipe. The contemporary recipe of Venetian “bigoli" involves

semolina Semolina is the name given to roughly milled durum wheat mainly used in making pasta and sweet puddings. The term ''semolina'' is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or ma ...

flour, whole wheat flour, and, optionally, eggs. This results in a dish that contains gluten. The use of whole wheat flour gives “bigoli" their distinctive dark color, setting them apart from typical Italian pasta made exclusively with semolina. “Bigoli” are cooked in boiling salted water for a few minutes and are then served with sauces, which can be meat-based or fish-based (typically salted sardines).

History

There are different versions of the origins of the ''bigoli''. They only agree that they originated in what is now the Veneto region. According to one theory, its origin dates back to the 14th century during the Venetian Turkish Wars. After the Turks sank numerous Venetian ships loaded with

durum Durum wheat (), also called pasta wheat or macaroni wheat (''Triticum durum'' or ''Triticum turgidum'' subsp. ''durum''), is a tetraploid species of wheat. It is the second most cultivated species of wheat after common wheat, although it repres ...

, the remaining flour was stretched with

common wheat Common wheat (''Triticum aestivum''), also known as bread wheat, is a cultivated wheat species. About 95% of wheat produced worldwide is common wheat; it is the most widely grown of all crops and the cereal with the highest monetary yield. Ta ...

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

. The new mixture was used for a dough, formed into a large spaghetto and called a ''bigolo''. In 1604, a pasta maker from

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

named Bartolomio Veronese, known as ''Abbondanza'' (), patented a press for making ''bigoli''. This was the real triumph of the ''bigoli''. According to another version, the ''bigoli'' are the result of a further development of a type of pasta that was already widespread in

northeast Italy Northeast Italy ( or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica, National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a Italian NUTS level 1 regions, first level NUTS region and a European ...

. They were first mentioned as ''bigoli'' in the 15th century at the court of the bishop of

Eraclea Eraclea () is a small city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, northern Italy. It is located on the Adriatic coast between the towns of Caorle and Jesolo. History From its founding until 742 AD, the Republic of Ven ...

.''Le paste d’Italia'' (= ''Le guide de L’Espresso.'') S. 178.

References

* * Types of pasta Cuisine of Veneto {{Pasta-stub

History

See also

References