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Armenians love Italian cuisine. And since pasta is one of its symbols, Armenians also love pasta very much. Yet, with so many pasta varieties, not everyone knows its specifics.
To fill that gap, GastroVino, in collaboration with Andaco, the exclusive representative of the Barilla brand in Armenia, will introduce one type of pasta each week.
We’ve already introduced linguine, and fusilli, today is penne’s turn.
Penne is one of the most widely used types of pasta, both in home cooking and in restaurants, and perhaps the only pasta with a precise birthday.
On March 11, 1865, in San Martino d’Albaro near Genoa, Italian pasta maker Giovanni Battista Capuro patented a device capable of cutting tubular pasta diagonally without breaking the ends. Before this invention, pasta was often cut by hand with scissors, resulting in uneven and untidy edges.
The word penne comes from the Italian penna, meaning “pen” or “feather.” The name refers to the pasta’s shape: its slanted ends resemble the feather-shaped tips of traditional ink pens.
Over time, penne has acquired two main “faces.”
Penne lisce has a smooth surface, while penne rigate features ridges. These ridges are designed to help sauces cling better to the pasta. Today, penne rigate is the more popular variety, especially when paired with thick tomato or meat sauces.
Image by: Barilla
The uniqueness of penne lies in its structure. Its hollow center captures the sauce, and the angled edges help distribute it evenly during mixing. For this reason, penne is considered one of the most versatile pasta shapes, suitable for classic tomato, cream, and meat-based sauces alike.
Penne is typically cooked for 10-12 minutes. When properly prepared, it should be served al dente.
Some of the most popular penne dishes include Penne all’Arrabbiata with spicy tomato sauce, Penne alla Vodka with a creamy sauce, and Penne al Pomodoro with the classic combination of tomatoes and basil. Penne is also frequently paired with meat ragù and cheese-based sauces.
If you’d like to prepare penne with roasted garlic, zucchini, and mint at home, visit the Barilla website and check out the recipe:
https://www.barilla.com/en-us/recipe/all/barilla-penne-barilla-roasted-garlic-sauce-zucchini-mint
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