Do you know your pasta shapes?

Take a look at the photo above. Which pasta is pictured in the foreground?

Is it wagon wheels or pionero pasta?

Name that pasta! Click to the next page for the answer.

That was wagon wheels (also known as rotelle or ruote)! Pionero is not a pasta at all, but rather a word I made up. Sounds like an Italian pasta, though, doesn't it?

Take a look at the photo above.

Is it shell pasta or orecchiette?

Name that pasta! Click to the next page for the answer.

Were you listening intently with your little ears during Italian language class? That was orecchiette! (The Italian words for "little ears"). Orecchiette kind of looks like shell pasta but shell pasta is often larger, with a deeper indentation that allows its sides to curl inward like a shell.

Take a look at the photo above.

Is it rotini or fusilli?

Name that pasta! Click to the next page for the answer.

That was a toughie. And that was fusilli. Rotini and fusilli are spiral in shape but fusilli is a bit longer, while rotini is a bit flatter with a tighter twist. Both are delicious!

Take a look at the photo above.

Is it radiatore or ravioli?

Name that pasta! Click to the next page for the answer.

That was easy! That pasta that resembles a radiator is radiatore. Stuffed pasta pouches filled with meat or cheese are the treats we call "ravioli".

Take a look at the photo above.

Is it campanelle or pappardelle?

Name that pasta! Click to the next page for the answer.

That was pappardelle, a thicker version of fettuccine (ribbon-like pasta) that pairs nicely with thick sauces. Pappardelle gets its name from the Italian word "pappare". Translation? Gobble up!

Take a look at the photo above. Which pasta is that?

Is it bucatini or tubini?

Name that pasta! Click to the next page for the answer.

That was bucatini. Like spaghetti, but hollow in the middle, bucatini pairs well with just about any sauce. You can also use in it casseroles and stir-fries. Tubini is also hollow-centered, but shorter and thicker in diameter than bucatini.

Take a look at the photo above.

Is it rigatoni or riccioli?

Name that pasta! Click to the next page for the answer.

That was rigatoni, the large, ridged, tube-shaped pasta that's bigger than penne and doesn't end at an angled cut. Riccioli ("curl" in Italian) is hollow in the middle, like rigatoni, but it's twisted/curled in shape.

Take a look at the photo above.

Is it acini di Pepe or Pepe le Pew?

Name that pasta! Click to the next page for the answer.

Pepe le Pew is the perpetually lovestruck skunk in the Looney Tunes cast, silly!

Acini di Pepe ("Peppercorn") is an elegant and tasty addition to soups.

OK, last question. Take a look at the photo above. Is it macaroni or elbow pasta?

Name that pasta!

Nope, it's not called "Kraft dinner" and, yep, that was a trick question because elbow and macaroni are the same thing. So if you answered either, right you are!

Did you know that the Canadian Pasta Makers Association estimates that there are more than 600 pasta shapes worldwide?