Credits photo: Luigi Chiesa – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fusilli are a type of short pasta popularly known and appreciated in Italy because they are suitable for any sauce, from the simplest to the most elaborate and rich. They are curled on themselves and their origins are very ancient and come from the southern Italy.
The fusilli are made of small cylinders of elongated dough, which are then rolled around an iron and then rolled back and forth on the planter to flatten them and dry them.
In southern Italy, particularly in the town of Gragnano in Campania, from ancient times to the present day fusilli pasta are hand-made by women of the villages with the traditional method that has been handed down through generations from mother to daughter, for 400 years. The term “fusillo” derives from “spindle”, the tool used by filaments. In fact, fusilli were twisted, quickly and masterfully, around a stocking iron, with a gesture that recalls the filaments.
The Fusilli, thanks to their rolled up and spiral form, fit rich sauces, as well as simple but tasty sauces typical of the Mediterranean diet with tomato, vegetables or fish. They are also great for preparing fresh, perfect pasta salads during the summer period for a quick, light, and tasty lunch.
