Pasta Encyclopedia: Linguine

Linguine is one of the best-known pasta shapes, a staple of Italian-American cuisine for decades. But did you know that the name translates to “little tongues?” Linguine is similar to spaghetti or fettucine in length, but is actually oval in cross-section. In contrast, spaghetti ala chittarra is square in cross-section, and spaghetti is round.  Linguine is most often paired with seafood sauces. Think linguine and clam sauce, for example, or white, béchamel-based sauces. That said, it’s a great match for a simple sauce of tomato, herb, garlic and anchovy. Buon appetito!

Here are some of our favorite linguine recipes: