DefinitionItalian Spaghetti - Spagh

Definition

Italian Spaghetti - Spaghetti is an Italian word that literally means “little twines.” Spaghetti is a very popular form (dare I say the most popular form) of Italian pasta. “Pasta” is simply the Italian word for “paste”….and refers to shaped dough made from semolina flour and water, that is then cooked in a pot of boiling water. Spaghetti, then, is pasta that is shaped into long, thin, round strands---that look kind of like little twines. That sounds simple enough. But there is far more to spaghetti than meets the eye (or tummy)…..

Spaghetti Noodles – In some ways the word “spaghetti” has come to transcend its Italian roots, and be used today to refer to any kind of noodle that is long, thin and round. A noodle is simply shaped dough made from any kind of flour and water, that is then cooked in a pot of boiling water. If that sounds a lot like the definition given above for pasta, that’s because it is. But the difference is that pasta is made with semolina flour. Noodles, on the other hand, are made from any kind of flour at all---including soft wheat, rice, millet, barley, buckwheat, soy, corn, potato, and even bean starch.

Some people think that for noodles to be noodles they must also have egg in them. It is true that some noodles do contain egg (as do many fresh pastas). But that is not what makes them noodles (it’s what makes them egg noodles). So don’t let that confuse you. Pasta, including spaghetti pasta, is just one specific kind of noodle.

What else can we say about noodles? Just like pasta, they can come in many different shapes and sizes. So spaghetti noodles are simply one particular shape and size of noodle---the same one that is used for Italian spaghetti. But the difference is that spaghetti noodles can be made out of any kind of flour at all—not just semolina. And that’s a good thing. Because it allows people with wheat allergies or other health concerns to become spaghetti lovers along with the rest of us [see link for more on this].

Spaghetti Paradox – Oddly enough, the word “spaghetti” has also come to be a synonym for its Italian roots, and is thus sometimes used to refer to anything “Italian.” An obvious example is the Spaghetti Western, which refers to a movie produced by Italian moviemakers. But that is a story for another web page [see Spaghetti Westerns].