Ziti
Type of pasta
title: "Ziti" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cuisine-of-sicily", "types-of-pasta", "casserole-dishes", "pasta-dishes"] description: "Type of pasta" topic_path: "general/cuisine-of-sicily" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziti" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Type of pasta ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Ziti |
| image | Ziti al ragù.jpg |
| caption | Served with Neapolitan ragù |
| alternate_name | Busiata, maccheroni di zita, a pasta d'à festa (Molise), stivalette (Apulia) |
| country | Italy |
| region | Sicily |
| type | Pasta |
| main_ingredient | Durum wheat flour, water |
| variations | Zitoni, zitoni rigati |
| :: |
NOTOC | name = Ziti | image = Ziti al ragù.jpg | image_size = | caption = Served with Neapolitan ragù | alternate_name = Busiata, maccheroni di zita, a pasta d'à festa (Molise), stivalette (Apulia) | country = Italy | region = Sicily | creator = | course = | type = Pasta | served = | main_ingredient = Durum wheat flour, water | variations = Zitoni, zitoni rigati
Ziti () or zite () is a shape of extruded pasta originating in the Italian region of Sicily.
Factories make ziti out of durum wheat flour and water, forming long, narrow tubes. In baked macaroni dishes, these tubes are used unbroken, but for preparations serving ziti with sauce, they are broken or cut into pieces around 5 cm long. In the past, this was generally done by cooks before cooking, but is today more frequently performed by manufacturers, who sell the pieces under the name "cut ziti". These cuts are made straight across, rather than diagonally as is the case with penne. Like penne lisce, plain ziti has a smooth surface, making thin sauces less appropriate for this dish. Variations of ziti include zitoni, a thicker pasta, and zitoni rigati, which, like rigatoni and penne rigate, does have ridges on its surface.
Ziti is known under the alternative names busiata and maccheroni di zita, as well as a pasta d'à festa and stivalette in Molise and Apulia respectively. The phrase "box of ziti" has become a colloquial euphemism for $1,000 in New York, after its use was popularized in the crime-drama series The Sopranos. The literal translation of ziti is either 'brides' or 'grooms'; in the past in Sicily, ziti was a mainstay at the weddings of all economic classes, served with stewed pork. The name maccheroni di zita similarly references weddings, having translating to "of the bride." Today, ziti is eaten throughout Italy, in several regions during feasts. An example of this is in Molise, where it is popularly believed that by eating ziti on the Feast of the Epiphany, the devil will not appear at one's deathbed.
The pasta is often served with Genovese sauce and ragù, as well as in baked pasta dishes. In Apulia, ziti is used in pasta seduta (). In this dish, a bowl of ziti, covered with tomato sauce, meatballs and cheese, is covered and immersed in boiling water. Baked ziti is a pasta al forno (baked pasta casserole) characteristic of Italian-American cuisine, made of ziti, bechamel, ragù, and topped with cheese.{{cite book | title=Lidia's Italy in America | author1=Lidia Matticchio Bastianich | authorlink1=Lidia Bastianich | author2=Tanya Bastianich Manuali | authorlink2=Tanya Bastianich Manuali | publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group | date=2011-10-25 | isbn=978-0307595676}} The version eaten in Naples, ziti alla sorrentina, is less dense than the baked ziti popular in America.
Gallery
File:Ziti top (cropped).jpg|alt=Long, hollow pieces of pasta|Uncut ziti File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Kylling og pasta.jpg|Uncut ziti being set into a pot File:RecipeoftheMonthNov SJ (10807432016).jpg|alt=|Cut ziti in a strainer File:Baked Ziti (cropped).jpg|Baked ziti with tomato sauce and cheese
References
References
- Oretta Zanini. (2009). "Encyclopedia of Pasta". University of California Press.
- Schwartz, Arthur. (1998). "Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania". [[HarperCollins]].
- (1989). "The New Basics Cookbook". [[Workman Publishing Company]].
- Sinclair, Charles. (2004). "Dictionary of Food: International Food and Cooking Terms from A to Z". [[A & C Black]].
- (2018-02-27). "'This Is How Criminals Talk': Closing Arguments Focus on Ziti". The New York Times.
- James, Caryn. (2000-01-14). "TV WEEKEND; The Ziti's in the Oven and the Matriarch's Still Not Dead". The New York Times.
- Wynn, Neil A.. (2004). "Counselling the Mafia: "The Sopranos"". Journal of American Studies.
- Oseland, James. (2011-04-20). "Saveur: The New Comfort Food - Home Cooking from Around the World". [[Chronicle Books]].
- Schwartz, Arthur. (1998). "Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania". [[HarperCollins]].
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