# The difference between pasta and egg noodles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477 "2004-12-12T18:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/21 "2005-01-18T16:47:42Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > So, please can I ask whether **maccheroni** is the Italian for “pasta no matter what the shape”? The resaon is that an American friend seems to call all pasta “macaroni”, whereas I call “pasta” of whatever shape “pasta” and what I (UK) call “macaroni” is what she calls" elbows". It was quite worrying when I first heard about the elbows - visions of cannibalism. :eek: > > I _would_ like to learn the correct term, or nearest possible in English, so as to dispel one bit of my ignorance. I think it’s a regional difference in terminology. U.S. regionalism, not Italian regionalism. I grew up in an Italian family (in the U.S. mostly) and we called _only_ the elbow-shaped pasta “macaroni.” Every other pasta was called by its specific name - linguine, farfalle, penne, etc. Most families I know who are first-generation American do the same thing. It seems to me, in my experience, that it’s mostly familes of Italian descent who have been here for many generations who call all pasta - no matter what the shape - by the word “macaroni.” They are also usually the ones who refer to red sauce as “gravy.” I never heard that term in my entire life (large Italian family and traveled to Italy many times) until I was about 28 years old and working at an “Italian” (Americanized Italian) restaurant. Some guy asked for noodles with gravy and I thought he meant gravy like you put on roast beef. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/22 "2005-01-18T20:32:50Z")
> [@missbunny](#): > > I think it’s a regional difference in terminology. U.S. regionalism, not Italian regionalism. > > I grew up in an Italian family (in the U.S. mostly) and we called _only_ the elbow-shaped pasta “macaroni.” Every other pasta was called by its specific name - linguine, farfalle, penne, etc. Most families I know who are first-generation American do the same thing. > … Thank you! 🙂 Haha - that is what is done in Britain too - I mean not only by people of Italian descent. This is good, so A) I can continue to find thte “elbow” thing strange and amusing, and B) if I ever visit Italy, I shall be able to buy pasta, at least, and will not starve. 🙂 Oh yes, I’m with you on the “gravy” thing too. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/23 "2005-01-18T21:13:33Z")
> [@yBeayf](#): > > Egg noodles are only fit for soup. You wouldn’t say that if you tasted the yummy egg pappardelle with pesto I made the other night. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/24 "2005-01-19T00:40:07Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > re: “My grandmother’s recipe includes eggs” and “Every pasta recipe I have includes eggs” etc. > > Yes, _fresh_ pasta typically includes eggs. But normal, store-bought dried pasta does not include eggs. Check the ingredients. OK. Well that gels with my my impression, so I’ll take that as an explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/25 "2005-01-19T08:27:18Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > My comment was in relation to the previous post # 6: "When flour is mixed with water (and some times oil) it is termed macaroni (sp?). " No snark intended. It was just such a funny thing to say. Macaroni is pasta formed into _tubes_! TUBES! \<\\> ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/26 "2005-01-19T08:50:23Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > No snark intended. It was just such a funny thing to say. > > Macaroni is pasta formed into _tubes_! TUBES! \<\\> Sorry I am a bit slow - I still dont get what you are on about - I only just discovered that in the US all pasta is called macaroni. duzzenmatta ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/27 "2005-01-19T23:48:56Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > Sorry I am a bit slow - I still dont get what you are on about - I only just discovered that in the US all pasta is called macaroni. duzzenmatta Is okay. The color of the sky in my little world is nice, so I stay there most of the time. It doesn’t seem to me like all of the pasta here is called macaroni. We’ve got spaghetti and riggatoni and spimoni like other places. The term Macaroni is usually reseved for the little bent tubes you mentioned, though it isn’t the only tube pasta and can come in other shapes. Little bent tube macaroni is pretty popular, though, especially Macaroni and Cheese by Kraft (trademark). Still doesn’t tell us why it’s different from egg noodles, though. (to quote a great person: “duzzenmatta.”) A thought: I’ve never seen egg noodles that were not short, flat, somewhat wavey rectangular shapes. Could their shape be what earns them the name, since it ain’t the ingredients? Or has someone seen oddly shaped egg noodles? ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/28 "2005-01-20T00:03:15Z")
My boxes of Barilla, San Georgio, and Safeway brands of Macaroni, Fetuccini, Capellini, and Vermicelli all list semolina, Ferrous Sulfate, Folic Acid, Thiamin, and Riboflavin as their only ingredients. ## Tris “Swat my hind with a melon rind, That’s my penguin state of mind.” ~ Opus ~ ---
**Author:** ![Annabella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecb155/32.png) [@Annabella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annabella)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/29 "2016-03-25T17:42:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m not so sure about that. > > Do you consider ravioli and lasagna sheets pasta? Because I’ve never seen a recipe for either that does not contain eggs. Egg pasta in general, whether cut as fettuccine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle, seems to be very common when prepared fresh. > > I’m not buying your statement that egg in pasta dough is not normal, because it seems normal to me—even the cookbooks I bought in Italy had recipes involving eggs for basic pasta dough. Perhaps it’s a regional difference, I don’t know. I appreciate your response “pulykamell”! I can agree to what you’re stating. The egg just makes it richer and more flavorful. You can just top with butter and parmesan! And the dough is so nice to manage. The egg giving it more elasticity–especially with a couple yolks and one whole egg. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/30 "2016-03-25T18:43:41Z")
Stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/31 "2016-03-25T19:33:39Z")
Moved to Cafe Society, which didn’t exist when this thread was started in 2004. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/32 "2016-03-25T20:30:30Z")
> [@Annabella](#): > > I appreciate your response “pulykamell”! I can agree to what you’re stating. The egg just makes it richer and more flavorful. You can just top with butter and parmesan! And the dough is so nice to manage. The egg giving it more elasticity–especially with a couple yolks and one whole egg. Yeah, in the decade or so since my posts, it’s pretty much become clear to me that fresh homemade pasta is usually made with egg, but dried pasta is not. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/33 "2016-03-26T01:30:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, in the decade or so since my posts, it’s pretty much become clear to me that fresh homemade pasta is usually made with egg, but dried pasta is not. And just LOOK how you’ve grown! ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477/34 "2016-03-27T23:56:57Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni… That is, thought that he was dressing in the style of the Macaroni Club, members of which were influenced by Milan fashons and ate trendy foreign food like macaroni. In Melbourne Wwe don’t use the word macaroni except for small tubes, not even elbows. Pasta includes egg noodles, but egg noodles may also be found in the asian section, in which case they aren’t pasta 🙂 Noodles are also not spaghetti, except that (asian) noodles may be soft-wheat long solid straws which would be spaghetti if they were Italian and hard-wheat. 🙂 When we let the states in 68, my Dad had never heard of any kind of “pasta” other than spaghetti. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-pasta-and-egg-noodles/279477.md?page=1)