Pasta shapes from Umbria

Umbria keeps to a flour and water dough. Most traditional shapes have no egg, which sets them apart from the egg sheets of the north. The cook kneads hard, and the result is a thick, chewy strand. Soft wheat flour is the norm for hand-made pasta. Industrial versions of the same shapes switch to durum semolina.

Strangozzi, also spelled stringozzi, are the signature shape, from Spoleto and Foligno. The dough is rolled to about 2 mm and cut into strips 3 to 4 mm wide and 30 cm long. The square section looks like a leather shoelace, and the name may come from that. Umbricelli are thick strands pulled by hand, like Tuscan pici, from the Orvieto side. Ciriole from Terni are the same idea. Strascinati are rough lasagnette. Strangozzi hold PAT status. The region has no PDO or PGI pasta.

Black truffle from Norcia is the dressing that defines the region. Strangozzi al tartufo is the flagship plate. Pasta alla norcina pairs sausage with cream and sometimes truffle. Older versions thin sheep's ricotta with pasta water instead of cream. Tomato with garlic, porcini, and goose or game ragù are the other standards. Spaghetti col rancetto from Spoleto uses marjoram in a sauce close to amatriciana. Umbricelli come with a perch sauce from Lake Trasimeno.