The small furrows that run up and down the rube-shaped pasta known as rigatoni are designed to catch the sauce and make it stick; these furrows also give rigatoni its name, deriving as it does from the Italian rigare, meaning to make a channel. This Italian word derives in turn from a Latin word, spelt the same way, which is also the source of the word irrigate, the action of channelling water to a field. Further back in history, the Latin rigare derived from the same Indo-European source as the Old English regnian, which eventually evolved into the word rain. Rigatoni was first referred to in English in the 1930s.
A type of large, curved, and ribbed tubular pasta that is typically cut into three-inch lengths is commonly referred to as “rigatoni.” This versatile pasta shape is often utilized in a variety of culinary applications, such as in baked pasta dishes or as a base for hearty meat sauces.
Ziti, a substantial Italian pasta, boasts a tubular shape with a ribbed surface, measuring approximately 3 inches in length. This pasta variety is highly regarded for its ability to pair perfectly with robust and hearty sauces. Its ample size and textured ridges create an ideal canvas for capturing and embracing the flavors of rich sauces, making ziti a favored choice among pasta enthusiasts.