Rigatoni (, ) is a type of

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 ...

. They are larger than penne and ziti, and sometimes slightly curved, but not as curved as elbow macaroni. Rigatoni are characterized by ridges along their length, sometimes spiraling around the tube; unlike penne, the ends of rigatoni are cut

perpendicular In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', � ...

to the tube walls instead of diagonally. The word ' comes from the Italian word ''rigato'' (that stands for 'lined', 'striped', 'ruled', ''rigatone'' being the augmentative, and ''rigatoni'' the plural form), which means ' ridged' or 'lined', and is associated with the cuisine of southern and central Italy. ''Rigatoncini'' are a smaller version, close to the size of penne. Their name takes on the diminutive suffix ' (pluralized ''-ini''), denoting their relative size. Rigatoni is a particular favourite pasta shape in the south of Italy, especially in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. Its eponymous ridges make better adhesive surfaces for sauces and grated cheese than smooth-sided pasta like ziti.

References

{{Pasta Cuisine of Lazio Types of pasta Italian cuisine

See also

References