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Orecchiette

Orecchiette
Orecchiette carbonara
TypePasta
Place of originItaly
Region or stateApulia
Main ingredientsDurum wheat flour, water

Orecchiette is a pasta typical of the Apulia region of Italy. Their name comes from the Italian word for 'ear', a reference to their shape.

Description

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

Individual orecchietta measure approximately an inch (2.5 cm) in width.[1]

Names and variations

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Orecchiette (Italian: [orekˈkjɛtte]; sg.: orecchietta; from Italian orecchia, lit. 'ear', and -etta).

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

In Cisternino orecchiette are made with durum wheat; they are larger and take on a different shape, with deep internal ribs, very similar to an ear. They are defined recchie d' privte (lit. 'priest's ears'). The typical dish of holidays is orecchiette with rabbit ragù.

Cavatelli, strascinati (strascinate in the vernacular of Bari) and cencioni are made like orecchiette, without the final step of forming a concave shape. Strascinati and cencioni are typically larger than orecchiette.

Dishes

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Orecchiette are typically served with a meat such as pork, capers and a crisp white wine.[2] In southern Italy, they are mostly served with vegetables.[1]

The traditional dish from Apulia is orecchiette alle cime di rapa, a dish of orecchiette and rapini,[3] which is the most popular vegetable to serve orecchiette with in southern Italy.[1] Broccoli or cauliflower are also widely used as an alternative. Particularly around Capitanata and Salento, orecchiette are traditionally also dressed with tomato sauce (al sugo), sometimes with miniature meatballs or a sprinkling of ricotta or ricotta forte.

The Italian cookbook Il cucchiaio d'argento[4] (The Silver Spoon)[5] suggests that orecchiette are ideal for vegetable sauces.

Market

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In the old town of Bari, Apulia, grandmothers make orecchiette by hand with family members and sell them to members of the public in the streets outside their homes. The imagery of this production and sale has been popular internationally, where it has appealed to popular stereotypes of southern Italy. As a result, the area and has received substantial attention from tourists. As of 2019, sale was not permitted to restaurants or other businesses.[6]

Avellino is a significant producer in Campania.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Schwartz, Arthur (1998). Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 136. ISBN 0-06-018261-X.
  2. ^ Florence Knight. "Florence Knight's recipe for orecchiette, pork, capers and white wine". The Times.
  3. ^ Zanini De Vita 2009.
  4. ^ D'Onofrio, Clelia (2005). Il cucchiaio d'argento. Cucchiaio d'argento Domus.
  5. ^ The Silver Spoon. Phaidon Press. 2005. ISBN 9780714845319.
  6. ^ Horowitz, Jason (2019-12-07). "Call It a Crime of Pasta". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-24.

Sources

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  • Zanini De Vita, Oretta (2009). "Orecchiette". Encyclopedia of Pasta. University of California Press. pp. 188–190. ISBN 978-0-520-94471-8. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  • Sada, Luigi (1994). La cucina pugliese. Newton-Compton.
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