Orecchiette (; singular ; ) are a pasta typical of

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

, a region of

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

. Their name comes from their shape, which resembles a small ear.

Description

An orecchietta has the shape of a small dome, with its center thinner than its edge, and with a rough surface. Like other kinds of pasta, orecchiette are made with

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

and water. Eggs are rarely used. In traditional Southern Italian home cooking, the dough is rolled, then cut into cubes. Each cube is pressed with a knife, dragging it on the board and making it curl (making a '' cavatello''). The shape is then inverted over the thumb.

Names and variations

In the vernacular of Taranto they are called , or . In

Cisternino Cisternino is a ''comune'' in the province of Brindisi in Apulia, on the coast of south-eastern Italy, approximately north-west of the city of Brindisi. Its main economic activities are tourism, the growing of olives and grapes, and dairy farming ...

''orecchiette'' are made with

; they are larger and take on a different shape, with deep internal ribs, very similar to an ear. They are defined — that is, "priest's ears". The typical dish of holidays is orecchiette with rabbit ragout. '' Cavatelli'', ''strascinati'' (, in the vernacular of Bari) and ''

cencioni Cencioni is a type of pasta. The name derives from the Italian for ''little rag''. Cencioni are oval and petal-shaped, with a slight curve, larger and flatter than orecchiette, with a more irregular shape and a rough texture to one side to he ...

'' are made like orecchiette, without the final step of forming a concave shape. Strascinati and cencioni are typically larger than orecchiette. In

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, a similar type of pasta is called (''māo ěr duǒ'', literally, "cat's ears").

Dishes

Orecchiette are typically served with a meat such as pork, capers and a crisp white wine. The traditional dish from Apulia is ''orecchiette alle cime di rapa'', a dish of orecchiette and rapini, also called turnip tops. Broccoli or

cauliflower Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species ''Brassica oleracea'' in the genus ''Brassica'', which is in the Brassicaceae (or mustard) family. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head is eaten – the ...

are also widely used as an alternative. Particularly around Capitanata and Salento, orecchiette are traditionally also dressed with tomato sauce (), sometimes with miniature

meatballs A meatball is ground meat rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many types ...

or a sprinkling of '' ricotta'' or '' ricotta forte''. The Italian cookbook '' Il cucchiaio d'argento'' (with an English translation ''The Silver Spoon'') suggests that orecchiette are ideal for vegetable sauces.

References

Sources

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External links