Mafaldine are part of the long, curled, dried pasta family due to their ribbon shape with curled edges on both sides.
They are also known as "Reginette" or "Reginelle" and come from the Naples area where they were once called "Fettuccelle Ricce". They were dedicated by the people of Naples to Princess Mafalda of Savoy and renamed Reginette (from the Italian word "regina" meaning queen) or Mafaldine in her honour.
Once curled pasta, like Mafaldine, have been cooked, they have a distinctive, uneven consistency which differs on the smooth and curled parts.
Another characteristic of this type of pasta is that the curled part can retain more sauce that the smooth part.
It is a fairly versatile type of pasta, so the sauces recommended for Mafaldine are: Neapolitan ragù with ricotta, game sauces, fish sauces made from shellfish and seafood or white sauces made from soft cheeses with the addition of curry, saffron, horseradish or ginger.
Available in 500g pack.s
Tagliatelline, which originate from Liguria, are consumed all over Italy and are part of the long, flat pasta family.
You need to go a long way back to retrace the origins of Tagliatelline and beyond the confines of Italy. Tagliatelline were known as early as 700 BC in Japan where they were imported from China with many other cultural and religious elements. In Japan, they were called Udon, tagliatelline made from common wheat, and seem to have met with incredible success in the province of Osaka and in the southern part of the country in general.
Tagliatelline are just the right size to be served both with sauces and in broth. In the first case, the recommended condiments are those from Ligurian tradition, so with pesto as the undisputed winner, and fish and shellfish based sauces coming a close second. They are also excellent in vegetable or meat broths or, with a nod to Oriental traditions, in broths based on seaweed and mushrooms.
Available in 500g pack.s