Food Encyclopedia

spaghetti

Like its cousin macaroni, spaghetti is made from semolina and water. Sometimes eggs are added. The name of this pasta comes from the Italian word for "strings" and in general spaghetti is in the form of long, thin strands that are round and solid. Spaghettini is very thin spaghetti (but thicker than vermicelli). Some spaghettis—like fettuccine and linguine—are flat rather than round. On the other hand, fusilli is a spiral shape, rather than being straight.