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.
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.
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?
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 ~
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.
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.
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. 