Cappelletti (little hats). Can be made fresh and stuffed or purchased dried and unstuffed. Use as macaroni.

Chuka soba are very fast cooking wheat flour noodles from Japan. They are thin and crinkled. Use in soups or salads.

Conchiglie (conch shells) or marruze; several sizes. Use small ones in soup and stuff the larger ones.

Ditali rigati (thimbles); short tubular ridged pastas. Used with sauces, in salads or baked.

Elbow macaroni are short curved tubes; come in many colors and sizes; use in soups and casseroles.

Fettuccine (little ribbons) are strips about 1/4-inch wide.

Funghini (mushrooms); tiny pastas for soup.

Fusilli are long strands like spaghetti that look like they have been twisted.

Gemelli (twins); strands of spaghetti that have been twisted together (twinned) like embroidery thread; about 3 inches long; use the same way as spaghetti.

Gnocchi (lumps); they look like dumplings; made with mashed potatoes, cornmeal, ricotta cheese or semolina.

Kreplach; a Jewish won ton or ravioli-type pasta that is fried or cooked in broth.

Lasagna are 1- to 2 1/2-inch-wide pasta ribbons.

Linguine (little tongues); oval shaped; use as spaghetti.

Mafalde are long noodles about 3/4 inch wide with rippled edges. Use as spaghetti.

Manicotti (little muffs); a large tube pasta which can be stuffed.

Orzo (barley) or Risoni (rice); small grain-shaped pastas used in soups and sometimes used in place of rice.

Ravioli; square pastas stuffed with various materials.

Rotelle (little wheels); they look like corkscrews or spirals. Use as macaroni.

Ruote (wheels); look like wheels with spokes; use as macaroni.

Semi di melone (melon seeds); use in soup.

Soba are Japanese buckwheat noodles; look like spaghetti; use in soup.

Somen are Japanese wheat noodles; look like very thin straight spaghetti; use in soup.

Spaetzle are little bits of egg pasta made by passing the batter through a colander or special spaetzle- maker into water or soup.

Spaghetti (little strands); come thick or thin.

Tagliatelle (little cut noodles); interchangeable with fettuccini.

Tortellini (little twists); filled pastas; served with sauce or in soups.

Udon are fresh Japanese wheat noodles. Use in soups.

Vermicelli (little worms); fine strands of spaghetti; come coiled or straight.

Ziti (bridegrooms); larger tubular macaroni;use with good robust sauces.

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