Pasta alla Chitarra

Pasta alla Chitarra (or Maccheroni alla Chitarra) is Abruzzo's most iconic fresh pasta format, created by pressing a sheet of egg pasta through a wooden frame strung with taut steel wires (the "chitarra"), which cuts the pasta into thick spaghetti with a perfectly square cross-section.

This traditional tool dates back to the 18th century and is still used in every Abruzzese home. The pasta's perfectly square shape sets it apart from tagliolini and spaghetti, and its rough surface perfectly catches and holds sauces.

It is traditionally dressed with lamb ragù, with "pallottine" (small meatballs in sauce), or with fresh tomato sauce. The chitarra is often a treasured heirloom, passed down from generation to generation.