How to eat fusilli pasta? [Approved by Italian]

Are you a pasta lover? If you appreciate this versatile yet magnificent food in all its varieties, you will surely know fusilli! 

To eat a plate of fusilli, after having cooked and served them following this tutorial, just use a fork and no other cutlery. With the fork, you can put 3 up to four pieces of Fusilli on it, do not use it as a spoon but use the tips of the fork. Then bring the fork to your mouth, eat and repeat.

A simple and very Italian way to eat fusilli is fusilli with pesto Genovese sauce. A sauce of basil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese, is perfect for the shape of the fusilli. Although there are many other ways that we Italians eat pesto.

Fusilli is a type of pasta originating from southern Italy, characterized by a typical elongated and spiral shape, single or double, which helps hold the sauce. It is a short pasta, traditionally made of durum wheat semolina. 

Fusilli is very popular in Italy, and is the third shape of pasta most chosen by Italians, click the link to see the ranking. and they are served in restaurants with different condiments. Outside Italy, pasta producers often use this name as a synonym for “rotini”, but fusilli has a spring-like shape whereas rotini is extruded into a twisted shape.

There are several types of fusilli here in Italy:

• short fusilli;
• pierced fusilli;
• long pierced fusilli;
• fusilloni;
• whole wheat fusilli;
• gluten free fusilli.

You can choose the fusilli you prefer based on the recipe you have to prepare, your dietary needs, and your personal taste. As I explained here, the different pasta shapes have the same taste, but the big difference can only be felt by tasting them, read the link and I’ll explain everything.

Read on for more curiosities about this pasta shape!

​​What sauce goes best with fusilli?

Fusilli is a match made in heaven with different kinds of condiments! Thanks to their structure, which holds the sauce really well, fusilli are perfect to be served with full-bodied and rich sauces. For example, you can try cooking fusilli with cream, sausage, and saffron or with a four-cheese sauce.

In Italy, this type of pasta is also widely served in combination with veggies, fresh tomato sauces, or cold pasta salads, perfect for the summer. Fusilli is therefore the perfect base for a low-calorie pasta recipe. Here there are some ideas for making a light, creative and tasty first course with fusilli:

• Fusilli with zucchini, ricotta and mint;
• Fusilli with chickpeas;
• Fusilli cherry tomatoes and tuna;
• Fusilli with rocket and almond pesto;
• Cold fusilli with feta, olives, and cherry tomatoes;
• Fusilli with broccoli and tofu.

As you can see, it’s easy to prepare a healthy, colorful, and tasty recipe with fusilli!

What’s the difference between rotini and fusilli?

This is probably going to shock you, but rotini does not exist in Italy! There are different types of fusilli, which I listed before, but no pasta has the name rotini. In the United States, however, rotini is a name that many pasta brands use as a synonym for fusilli. But is it really so?

No, actually fusilli and rotini differ in their shape and the difference is in the extruding process. While fusilli is made of flat strands of pasta that are later curled in spring-like shapes, rotini noodles are extruded into a spiral shape and have a slightly smaller and tighter twist.

Since they are still two very similar types of pasta, you can use both equally in a recipe that requires the use of fusilli.

What does fusilli mean in Italian?

The term fusilli does not have any particular meanings in Italian, it simply derives from the word “fuso” (spindle) which in the past was used to prepare handmade pasta, without a machine. The noodle thread was twisted around a knitting needle to obtain the classic shape of the Fusillo.

If you want to make fusilli at home, today you can buy a pasta maker to bring different pasta shapes (including fusilli) to your table.

At this point, pasta and especially fusilli will no longer have secrets for you!