Fusillo

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A short, twisted pasta shape that resembles a corkscrew or spiral and is often served with light sauces
2. A small spiral-shaped variety of dried pasta, typically made from durum wheat and used in salads and baked dishes
3. Curly, corkscrew-like Italian pasta, usually cooked and combined with sauces that cling to its ridged spirals

Etymology: Fusillo is a short, spiral-shaped pasta from southern Italy, especially Campania, Basilicata and Calabria, and its name comes from Italian "fuso", meaning spindle. The word's root is Latin "fusus", a spindle used for spinning thread, so the pasta is named for the tool whose turning motion it resembles when rolled. The "-illo" ending is a diminutive suffix, so the name roughly means "little spindle." Traditionally, fusillo is made by rolling a small strip of dough around a thin rod or knitting needle, or by pressing it against a special wooden tool called a "busa." That hand-rolled technique gives the pasta its ridged, corkscrew shape, which holds sauce well in the grooves.

Synonyms: fusilli