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Penne () is an extruded type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at an angle. ''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning ''feather'' but ''pen'' as well), deriving from Latin ''penna'' (meaning "
In Italy, ''penne'' are produced in two main variants: ''penne lisce'' (smooth) and ''penne rigate'' (furrowed), the latter having ridges on each penna. Pennoni ("big quills") is a wider version of penne. In English-language contexts, a version is called mostaccioli by various manufacturers, which may be either smooth or ridged in texture.
Penne is traditionally cooked
feather
Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier ...
" or " quill"), and is a cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
of the English word '' pen''. When this format was created, it was intended to imitate the then-ubiquitous steel nib of fountain and dip pens.
Origins
''Penne'' is one of the fewpasta shapes
There are many different varieties of pasta. They are usually sorted by size, being long (''pasta lunga''), short (''pasta corta''), stuffed (''ripiena''), cooked in broth (''pastina''), stretched (''strascinati'') or in dumpling-like form (''gno ...
with a certain date of birth: in 1865, Giovanni Battista Capurro, a pasta maker from San Martino d'Albaro ( Genoa), obtained a patent for a diagonal cutting machine. His invention cut the fresh pasta into a pen shape without crushing it, in a size varying between ''mezze penne'' (half pens) and ''penne'' (pens).
Description and variations
In Italy, ''penne'' are produced in two main variants: ''penne lisce'' (smooth) and ''penne rigate'' (furrowed), the latter having ridges on each penna. Pennoni ("big quills") is a wider version of penne. In English-language contexts, a version is called mostaccioli by various manufacturers, which may be either smooth or ridged in texture.
Penne is traditionally cooked al dente
In cooking, al dente () describes pasta or rice that is cooked to be firm to the bite. The etymology is Italian "to the tooth".
In contemporary Italian cooking, the term identifies the ideal consistency for pasta and involves a brief cooking t ...
and its shape makes it particularly adapted for sauces, such as pesto, marinara, or arrabbiata. The latter has been celebrated several times in Italian movies, notably in Marco Ferrari's '' La Grande Bouffe'' and Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...
's ''Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
''.
See also
* Cuisine of Liguria *List of Italian dishes
This is a list of Italian dishes and foods. Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Italian cuisine has its origins in Etruscan, ancient Greek, and ancien ...
* List of pasta
References
{{Pasta Cuisine of Liguria Types of pasta