Spaghetti alla chitarra explained

Spaghetti alla chitarra
Alternate Name:Maccheroni alla chitarra
Country:Italy
Region:Abruzzo
Type:Pasta
Main Ingredient:Durum, egg, salt
Variations:Tonnarelli

Spaghetti alla chitarra (pronounced as /it/), also known as maccheroni alla chitarra, is a variety of egg pasta typical of the Abruzzo region of Italy, with a square cross section about 2–3 mm thick. Tonnarelli are a similar pasta from Lazio,[1] used especially in the Roman cacio e pepe. Ciriole, traditionally from Molise, is the thicker version of chitarra, approximately twice the thickness of spaghetti. Because the pasta are cut from a sheet rather than extruded through a die, spaghetti alla chitarra are square rather than round in cross-section.

Origin of the name

The name of this spaghetti comes from the tool (the so-called chitarra,) this pasta is produced with. This tool gives the spaghetti its name, shape, and a porous texture that allows pasta sauce to adhere well to the pasta itself. The chitarra is a frame with a series of parallel wires crossing it.[2]

History and production

The origin of the chitarra is still not very clear, though a traditional recipe from the province of Teramo originated in the early 1800s or even before.[3] It is also claimed that the chitarra originated from the province of Chieti.[4] Before then, pasta was cut with a special rolling pin with notches to obtain its particular shape.[5] Although its origins are from Abruzzo, you can find different versions and names in the southern part of Italy. It gets the name of tonnarelli in Lazio, torchioli, troccoli, or truoccoli in Basilicata and Apulia, or cirioli molisani in Molise.[6]

The dough consists of durum wheat semolina and eggs, with no added salt. It is then worked and, after a rest of about 30 minutes covered, rolled flat with a rolling pin. The dough is then placed on the chitarra and pushed through with the rolling pin, so that the strings of the "guitar" cut it into strips.[7] Pasta makers from Abruzzo bring down the cut dough by passing their fingers over it, as they would "play a guitar".

In Abruzzo, maccheroni alla chitarra are most typically prepared with a ragù of pork, beef, and lamb. In particular areas of the Abruzzi (for example Teramo) the traditional condiment is tomato sauce with beef meatballs, so-called pallottine.[8] In Abruzzo, chitarra alla teramana, which is a traditional Abruzzo recipe, is a long thin squared spaghetti pasta served with tiny meatballs (polpettine).[9] It is generally a first course meal (primo piatto).

A dried variation, without egg, is often marketed as spaghetti or maccheroni alla chitarra both within and outside Italy.[10] [11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tonnarelli is a local variation from Lazio. De Cecco. it . 29 September 2014. 13 August 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140813142642/http://www.dececco.it/IT/Pasta-all-uovo/Le-Specialita/tonnarelli-all-uovo-312/?Prodotto=197 .
  2. Book: Oretta Zanini De Vita . 165. 558881171. Encyclopedia of Pasta. 9780520944718. 15 October 2009. University of California Press.
  3. Web site: Cardelli. Marino . 27 February 2020. The complete guide to pasta/spaghetti alla chitarra/guitar from Abruzzo. Experience BellaVita.
  4. Web site: Spaghetti/Maccheroni alla Chitarra from Abruzzo. May 6, 2017.
  5. Web site: Spaghetti chitarra. Pasta Garofalo Italia. it. 29 September 2014. 22 January 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130122184828/http://www.pastagarofalo.it/it/prodotti/linea/specialita/2 .
  6. Web site: The complete guide to pasta/spaghetti alla chitarra/guitar from Abruzzo.
  7. Web site: Spaghetti alla chitarra. it. Barilla. 29 September 2014. 11 August 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140811174732/http://www.barilla.it/prodotto-barilla/spaghetti-alla-chitarra .
  8. Web site: Maccheroni alla chitarra all'uovo. De Cecco. it. dead . 23 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923031126/http://www.dececco.it/IT/pasta-all-uovo/le-specialita/maccheroni-alla-chitarra-all-uovo-99/?Prodotto=158 .
  9. Web site: Abruzzo's Traditional Foods From Mountain to Sea. ITALY Magazine.
  10. Web site: Spaghetti alla chitarra marketed outside of Italy. Barilla US. dead. 29 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160229125243/http://www.barilla.com/content/product/spaghetti-alla-chitarra .
  11. Web site: Maccheroni alla chitarra (without egg) available in Italian supermarkets. De Cecco. it. dead . 23 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213227/http://www.dececco.it/IT/pasta-di-semola/linea-base/formati-lunghi/maccheroni-alla-chitarra-13/?Prodotto=8 .