What spaghetti means
Spaghetti is one of the best-known shapes of Italian pasta. It is long, thin and round, and its name comes from the Italian spago, meaning string, with spaghetti meaning little strings. It is traditionally made from durum wheat semolina and water, shaped by forcing the dough through dies and then dried, though fresh versions also exist. Spaghetti made with bronze dies has a rougher surface, which helps sauce cling.
Thinner versions are called spaghettini and thicker ones spaghettoni. Spaghetti is cooked in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still with a slight bite, then drained and tossed with sauce, often with a little of the starchy cooking water to help the sauce cling and emulsify. It suits sauces that coat the strands, such as olive oil and garlic, tomato sauces, carbonara, cacio e pepe, puttanesca and seafood sauces such as vongole. Outside Italy, spaghetti is famous with bolognese sauce and meatballs, though in Italy ragù alla bolognese is traditionally served with tagliatelle.
Spaghetti is eaten by twirling it around a fork, sometimes against a spoon. It is one of the most popular pastas in Britain and around the world, and it is the basis of many quick, everyday meals. You will see spaghetti in Italian recipes and family cooking everywhere.