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Home » Pasta Types » Long Pasta » Candele: Long Pasta Candles

Published: May 23, 2017 · Modified: May 25, 2020 by Jacqui

Candele: Pasta candles


Candele; pasta candles!

candele long pasta

I really love doing this pasta project. It’s not just the cooking of and tasting new pasta recipes that I enjoy, but also the research. Many pasta types have an interesting history, especially those that date back in time. And I love the diversity of the Italian pasta culture. Each region really does have its own pasta gems and recipes which are often unknown abroad and, in some cases, even in other parts of the country! I particularly  love discovering new pasta shapes.

With candele, it was actually my hubby who found it and brought it home. It seems he’s enjoying this project as much as I and despite the fact that he’s Sicilian, he too is getting to eat types of pasta he’s never eaten before!

Candele are insanely long!

Candele are a traditional pasta of Southern Italy, especially Campania.  Pretty obviously, the word ‘candele’ means candles and this pasta appears to have been inspired by the long slim candles used in Catholic religious processions. Long being the operative word as candele are about 50cm in length!

candele long pasta

Candele are only found as dried pasta. They are extruded through bronze dies and dried for around 70 hours at a very low temperature!! Before modern technology made cutting pasta into smaller shapes possible, tubular and long pasta such as candele and spaghetti, were left to dry in long forms and broken into smaller pieces before cooking.

No dish long enough, no pot deep enough!

Like two other similar pastas called ziti and zitoni, candele are usually broken by hand into 2 or 3 irregular pieces before being cooked. I had wanted to cook them intact but unfortunately I didn’t have an oven dish long enough to do that! (For my first candele recipe, I baked them in the sauce rather than boil them)

Even if I had wanted to boil them, I couldn’t fit them into our tallest pot. I read an article in which the writer said he had cooked the candele about a minute on one side, then rotated them and started the other side. Then slowly pushed the pieces into the water as they softened.  This took quite a bit of time and although most of the pieces didn’t break, it was apparently difficult. 

candele long pasta

Whether cooked intact (I think only possible in the oven not boiled) or in pieces, when boiling this pasta it’s important to make sure to use a lot of salt in the water and once it’s cooked, be sure to drain very carefully. The candele can potentially store a lot of water inside each tube because they are also pretty wide.

Recipes with candele pasta.

Candele are great for making baked pasta recipes and that seems to be the normal way to cook them in Campania. They are usually boiled before baking and traditionally served with heavier sauces such as Neopolitan ragu. However, they also go well with vegetable sauces, especially with tomatoes,  olives and capers or vegetables like zucchini, aubergines and bell peppers.

candele pasta bake

I have found a number of artisan Neopolitan pasta makers who make candele, as well as a couple of the bigger pasta producers and they can be ordered online. The ones my hubby found were from De Cecco.  My first recipe for candele is a vegetarian pasta bake because one of my guests that day was a vegetarian. The dish was scrumptious and it seems to me this pasta has a unique taste and consistency. So if you can get hold of some do give it a try!

Buon Appetito!

Candele can be used in recipes for Zitoni and even Ziti like this delicious baked ziti or zitoni with spicy sausage

Baked Ziti or Zitoni pasta with spicy sausage

Baked Ziti or Zitoni pasta with spicy sausage

Italian Pasta Types - Candele
Candele - Italian Pasta Types

More Candele: Long Pasta Candles

  • Baked Candele with Mushrooms

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob O'Fee says

    September 06, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    Good Morning:

    I really enjoy reading your posts. I’d like to know if you have a recipe for making the Candele pasta without breaking it. I thought of trying to bake the dish in a roasting pan (like a turkey roasting pan) as it is long enough to accommodate the long tubes.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      September 06, 2020 at 10:07 pm

      Hi Bob thanks for your comment. So far I haven’t cooked candele intact but in this old baked candele recipe (needs updating) I halved them because my dish was too short! I reckon if you have a long enough dish you could make this recipe without breaking the candele. https://www.the-pasta-project.com/baked-candele-pasta/

      Reply
  2. Helen Thompson says

    September 05, 2020 at 1:45 pm

    Hi I love my pasta and just seen this candle past I am having trouble finding some where to buy it can you help me with that i love itali so much I took my family last June for our 50th anniversary so I will some pleased if you can help thank you helen

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      September 05, 2020 at 6:17 pm

      Hi Helen, thanks for you comment! I don’t know where you live, but I know some companies sell candele pasta online. The ones I know are De Cecco, Faella, Gentile, Di Martino and Armando. There are others. The best would be for you to search for it online to see if you can find it. How nice to have been in Italy for your 50th anniversary! Definitely the most romantic country to celebrate in!

      Reply

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Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where…

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