Cavatelli

Cavatelli^[a] are small pasta shells made from semolina or other flour dough,^[4][5] commonly cooked with garlic and broccoli or rapini, or simply with tomato sauce. A variant adds ricotta cheese to the dough mix.^[5]

Cavatelli

Uncooked cavatelli
Type	Pasta
Place of origin	Italy
Region or state	Abruzzo Molise Apulia
Main ingredients	Durum wheat
Media: Cavatelli

Many varieties and local names of cavatelli exist, including gnocchetti, manatelli, orecchie di prete (lit. 'priest's ears'),^[6] strascinati, truoccoli; capunti, cingule, minuich, rascatelli, zinnezinne (Basilicata); cantaroggini, cavatieddi, cecatelli/cicatelli, cecatidde, cortecce (lit. 'tree barks', Salerno),^[7] mignuicchi, strascenate, tagghjunghele (Apulia and Campania); pincinelle (Marche); cavatielle, 'ncatenate, cazzarille, ciufele (Molise); cavasuneddi, cavatuneddi, gnucchitti, gnocculi (Sicily),^[8] and pizzicarieddi (Apulia).^[6][9]

A particular variety of cavatelli is typical of the comune (municipality) of Teggiano, in Campania, where they are referred to as parmitieddi. Parmitieddi are larger than cavatelli and flat-shaped. They are obtained by rolling a stick dough with three fingers of one hand, instead of with a single finger as done for the common cavatelli. Parmitieddi are usually served as a first course on Palm Sunday because their shape, similar to that of a tree leaf, recalls that of a palm.^[6] In Campania, they are most common in the city of Benevento.^[10]

Cavatelli with a softer texture are produced by boiling water before it is added to flour.^[10]

Gallery

• 
  Cutting cavatelli into pieces
• 
  Dry capunti, a variety of cavatelli from Apulia
• 
  Cavatelli for sale
• 
  A dish of cavatelli

See also

Media related to Cavatelli at Wikimedia Commons

• Italy portal
• Food portal

• List of pasta

Notes

1. English: /ˌkævəˈtɛli/ KAV-ə-TEL-ee, US also /ˌkɑːv-/ KAHV-,^[1][2][3] Italian: [kavaˈtɛlli]; lit. 'little hollows'; cognate to English cave and cavity.