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
Penne () are an extruded type of pasta in the shape of tubular pieces with ends cut at an angle. They are usually made from wheat flour.
Etymology
''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning "feather", but "pen" as well), de ...
and
ziti
Ziti () or ''zite'' () is a shape of extruded pasta originating from the Italy, Italian regions of Campania and Sicily. It is shaped into long, wide tubes, about long, that generally need to be broken by hand into smaller pieces before cooking. ...
, and sometimes slightly curved, but not as curved as elbow
macaroni
Macaroni (), known in Italian as ''maccheroni'', is a pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as "elbow macaroni". Some ...
. 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
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
word ''rigato'' (that stands for 'lined', 'striped', 'ruled', ''rigatone'' being the
augmentative
An augmentative (abbreviated ) is a morphological form of a word which expresses greater intensity, often in size but also in other attributes. It is the opposite of a diminutive.
Overaugmenting something often makes it grotesque and so in so ...
, 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
Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern regions.
The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or culture of the historic ...
, 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.
See also
*
List of pasta
There are many different varieties of pasta. They are usually sorted by size, being long (), short (), stuffed (), cooked in broth (), stretched () or in dumpling-like form (). Yet, due to the variety of shapes and regional variants, "one man's ...
* ''
Rigatoni con la pajata
''Pagliata'' (or, in Romanesco dialect, ''pajata'') is a traditional Roman dish primarily using the intestine of a young calf (tripe). As it has only eaten milk, the resulting dish is similar to cheese in a sausage casing.
It is usually plait ...
''
References
{{Pasta
Cuisine of Lazio
Types of pasta
Italian cuisine