There seem to be a lot of Italian pasta varieties of which I've never heard.
In case you hadn’t noticed, Italians take pasta very seriously. There are dozens of varieties - it's much more than just spaghetti and fusili - and menus can be hard to decipher to visitors and newcomers.
Pasta is an art form; not only does each region have its local specialities, but there are rules as to which sauce goes best with which pasta. To start with, Italians would never pair chicken or meatballs with pasta - and don't even think about topping a seafood pasta dish with cheese.
There are so many different kinds that sometimes you don't realize it's pasta, let alone what shape, from reading the menu.
Waiters have been known to draw pasta shapes in order to help diners understand what they're ordering, while many foreigners in Italy have sat through lectures from Italian housemates on why you should never, ever order spaghetti bolognese.
There's more at the link, including descriptions and photographs of the varieties mentioned in the title of this article and a lot more. Interesting reading for food lovers - and it helps to pasta the time . . .
Peter
I suppose some noodles might taste different than other noodles, but to me they're all noodles under the bridge.
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