Italy is home to over 200 regional pasta recipes, or pasta, according to a survey by Italian Food Union. The study shows that each region of the country has between seven and 12 typical preparations, with local variations that make accurate counting difficult.
Pasta is one of the pillars of Italian cuisine. Short or long, stuffed or plain, it is consumed by 54% of the population daily, according to a survey by Nextplora made at the end of 2024. In the South, this number rises to 68%. Lunch is the preferred time for 80% of Italians.
Spaghetti remains the favorite type, with 40% of preferences. Next comes penne and fusilli. Types like penne smooth and sedan are among the least popular.
Despite the convenience of industrialized products, the tradition of making fresh pasta at home still persists. Only 12% of Italians maintain the habit regularly, a number that reaches 17% in the South.
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Ranking by region
A Emilia-Romagna leads the ranking of regions with the most typical pasta recipes, with 12 dishes. Piedmont, Tuscany and Campania come next with 11 each. The Aosta Valley, with seven recipes, closes the list.
Among the best known dishes are:
Pasta alla Norma (Sicily)
Carbonara, Amatriciana and Cacio e pepe (Lazio)
Pappardelle with wild boar (Tuscany)
Tagliatelle with truffles (Piedmont)
Orecchiette with turnip greens (Apulia)
Check the number of recipes by region:
Emilia-Romagna (12)
Piedmont (11)
Tuscany (11)
Campania (11)
Liguria (10)
Lombardia (10)
Trentino-Alto Adige (10)
Friuli-Venezia Giulia (10)
Gears (10)
Umbria (10)
Abruzzo (10)
Veneto (9)
Lazio (9)
Sardinia (9)
Apulia (9)
Calabria (9)
Basilicata (9)
Molise (9)
Sicily (9)
Aosta Valley (7)
Dining and Cooking