pasta shapes

For those whose pasta vocabulary starts and stops with the word "spaghetti", here is a small (and by no means, comprehensive) guide to the wide assortment of pasta shapes that one might run across while partaking in culinary adventures.

• Capellini - Long strands of pasta, like spaghetti, but much thinner.
• Casarecci - short lengths of rolled or twisted pasta. Look something like macaroni that's been sliced length-wise.
• Cavatelli - small, shell-like pasta.
• Conchiglie - medium size pasta shells. Smaller shells are conchigliette, larger (usually stuffed) shells are conchiglioni.
• Farfalle - small, bowtie shaped pasta.
• Fettucini - long,flat noodles of a medium width.
• Fusilli - spring shapped pasta.
• Fusilli Col Buco - long, spring shaped pasta.
• Gemelli - short strands of twisted pasta.
• Gigli - small, flower shaped pasta.
• Gnocchetti - small pieces of pasta made to look like gnocchi, which themselves are small, dumpling like pieces of pasta made with potato flour.
• Lasagna - Large, flat and wide noodles, usually with ridge edges. Generally layered with sauces and cheese and baked.
• Linguine - long, flat noodles of a narrow width.
• Lumache - Small or medium sized shells that resemble snails.
• Macaroni - Small, hollow curved tubes of pasta. Along with spaghetti, probably the most Americanized form of pasta, thanks to Kraft and others who combine it with cheese.
• Manicotti - Large tubes of ridged pasta, often stuffed and then baked.
• Orecchiette - Small pieces of pasta that look like miniature bowls.
• Route - Wheel shaped pasta
• Radiatori - small pieces of pasta that look like, suprise, radiators.
• Rotini - Spiral pasta
• Strozzapreti - resembles a rolled towel.
• Torchio - a pasta shape that resembles (you guessed it) a torch.
• Trenne - similar to penne, but with a triangular, rather than circular, cross section.
• Troffiette - small, twisted bits of pasta.
• Vermicelli - Long strands of pasta, like spaghetti, but slightly thinner.