Buzz
Pasta, a culinary staple with a history spanning nearly 2000 years, continues to evolve. Iconic shapes such as penne and cavatappi have only existed for a few decades. The latest innovation in this category is cascatelli, a whimsical new pasta shape inspired by a podcast, as reported by The New York Times
Cascatelli is the result of a partnership between Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful food podcast, and Sfoglini, a pasta company based in New York's Hudson Valley. As part of his “Mission: ImPASTAble” series, Pashman dedicated three years to researching and crafting a novel pasta shape. He focused on three key attributes: sauceability (how well sauce clings to the pasta), forkability (how easily it can be speared with a fork), and toothsinkability (the satisfying texture when bitten into). Named after the Italian word for waterfall, cascatelli embodies the ideal blend of these qualities.
SfogliniCascatelli is shorter than spaghetti but longer than most thick noodles, offering an ideal surface area for fork prongs. Its curved design enhances toothsinkability, while ruffled edges form a "sauce trough" to hold toppings. A unique bronze extruder gives the pasta a textured surface, perfect for sauce adherence.
Cascatelli is currently sold on Sfoglini's website for $4.50 per pound. Reviewers have hailed it as "revolutionary," though it isn't the first pasta shape crafted for perfection. In the 1980s, two design-forward shapes, marille and mandala, were introduced. Despite their innovation, neither gained lasting popularity. Explore more stories about the origins of beloved pasta shapes.
