• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Pasta Project logo

  • Recipe Index
  • Italy’s Regions
    • Abruzzo
    • Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta or Val d’Aosta)
    • Basilicata
    • Campania
    • Calabria
    • Emilia-Romagna
    • Friuli Venezia Giulia
    • Lazio (Latium)
    • Liguria
    • Lombardy
    • Le Marche Region; the next Tuscany
    • Molise, Italy’s second smallest region.
    • Piedmont-Piemonte
    • Puglia
    • Sardinia
    • Sicily, the food and the pasta!
    • Trentino-Alto Adige (South Tyrol)
    • Tuscany (Toscana) the Food and Pasta.
    • Umbria, the green heart of Italy
    • Veneto
  • Pasta and recipes by region
    • Abruzzo
    • Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta)
    • Basilicata
    • Calabria
    • Campania
    • Emilia-Romagna
    • Friuli Venezia Giulia
    • Lazio (Latium)
    • Liguria
    • Lombardy
    • Le Marche (Marche region)
    • Molise
    • Piedmont-Piemonte
    • Puglia
    • Sardinia
    • Sicily
    • Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol
    • Tuscany-Toscana
    • Umbria
    • Veneto
  • Pasta Types
    • Anelli or Anelletti pasta rings.
    • Bigoli Pasta from Veneto
    • Biricci pasta
    • Bucatini; the spaghetti with a hole!
    • Busiate
    • Caccavelle Giant Pasta Shells from Gragnano, Naples.
    • Calamarata pasta from Southern Italy.
    • Candele: Pasta candles
    • Cannelloni or Manicotti
    • Casarecce pasta from Sicily.
    • Cavatelli Pasta from Southern Italy
    • Conchiglie, Conchigliette, Conchiglioni.
    • Corzetti or Croxetti Pasta from Liguria.
    • Dischi Volanti Pasta (Messicani)
    • Ditaloni, Ditali, Ditalini
    • Elicoidali
    • Farfalle pasta: Butterflies and Bow Ties
    • Fettuccine pasta (lisce e rigati)
    • Fileja pasta from Calabria
    • Fresine pasta from Gragnano
    • Fusilli Pasta; long, short, homemade and hollow.
      • Fusilli Bucati Corti (short hollow fusilli)
    • Garganelli pasta from Romagna (Emilia-Romagna)
    • Gargati Pasta from Veneto.
    • Gigli or Campanelle pasta
    • Gomiti Elbow Pasta, a pasta with many names
    • Italian Gnocchi; Potato gnocchi and family
      • Canederli: Italian Bread Dumplings from South Tirol
    • Gramigna: Pasta from Emilia-Romagna.
    • Grattoni-grattini (pasta for soup)
    • Intrecci pasta.
    • Lagane pasta from Southern Italy
    • Lasagne or lasagna.
    • Linguine pasta from Liguria
    • Lombrichelli, hand rolled pasta from Lazio
    • Lorighittas Pasta from Sardinia
    • Lumaconi (snail shell pasta)
    • Maccheroncini di Campofilone from Le Marche
    • Mafaldine (mafalda or reginette)
    • Malloreddus (Sardinian Gnocchi)
    • Maltagliati Pasta
    • Mezze Maniche Pasta (half-sleeves)
    • Occhi di Lupo (wolf’s eyes) Pasta
    • Orecchiette pasta
    • Paccheri
    • Pappardelle pasta from Tuscany
    • Passatelli Pasta from Emilia-Romagna
    • Penne
    • Pici pasta from Tuscany
    • Pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta)
    • Radiatori (radiator shaped pasta)
    • Rigatoni, pasta with ridges.
    • Sagne Pasta from Abruzzo, Molise and Lazio.
    • Sardinian Fregola (fregula sarda)
    • Scialatielli pasta from Amalfi
    • Sedani rigati
    • Spaccatelle pasta from Sicily
    • Spaghetti
    • Spaghetti/Maccheroni alla Chitarra from Abruzzo
    • Strozzapreti
    • Tagliatelle
    • Tagliolini
    • Torchio Pasta (Maccheroni al Torchio)
    • Tortelli and Ravioli
      • Cjarsons ravioli from Friuli Venezia Giulia.
    • Trescatori Pasta from Abruzzo
    • Trofie pasta from Liguria
    • Tuscan Gnudi (ricotta and spinach gnocchi)
    • Vermicelli
    • Vesuvio pasta from Campania; shaped like a volcano!
    • Ziti and Zitoni Pasta
  • Pasta Recipes
    • Baked Pasta Recipes
    • Pasta with Poultry and Game
    • Pasta Salads and in Soups
    • Vegetarian Pasta dishes
    • Seafood & Lake Fish Pasta
    • Meat Pasta Dishes
    • Pesto and other pasta sauces
      • Alla Mediterranea (Mediterranean sauce and celebrations!)
      • Beetroot and Radicchio Pesto
      • Busiate with radicchio pesto
      • Busiate pasta with Trapanese pesto from Trapani
      • Casarecce with pumpkin and orange pesto
      • Roasted Red Pepper Pesto with Casarecce Pasta
      • Fusilli pasta with black olive pesto and tuna.
      • Long Fusilli Pasta with Pesto Calabrese
      • Matcha Pesto for Pasta
      • Pappardelle pasta with walnut sauce and black truffle shavings
      • Pesto Pasta Liguria with Potatoes and Green Beans
      • Pasta with pistachio pesto
      • Trofie Pasta with Rocket Pesto Recipe
      • Tuscan pici pasta all’etrusca with asparagus
    • Special & Favourite Pasta Recipes
      • Baked Pasta Roses
      • Cinnamon Butter Gnocchi: Recipe from Veneto
      • Gnocchi alla Romana
      • Lasagna bianca with mushrooms and burrata
      • Spaghetti al Limone with Ricotta, Basil and Lemon
      • Spaghetti/Maccheroni alla Chitarra with 4 meat ragu Abruzzese
      • Stuffed Lumaconi (Lumache) snail shell pasta
      • Pasta with Nduja
      • Pasta al forno (pasta bake the Italian way)
      • Ricotta Gnudi with Black Truffle.
      • Tagliolini with Taleggio and Black Truffle
  • Restaurants and Pasta Companies
    • Agriturismo Il Romitorio, Tuscania, Lazio
    • Restaurant Dei Cantoni, Longiano, Emilia-Romagna
    • Pasta Mancini: Pasta From Field to Fork.
    • The Best Italian Pasta Ever: Pastificio dei Campi
    • Organic Pasta Makers Girolomoni.
  • SHOP OUR ARTICLES
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Italy’s Regions
  • Pasta and recipes by region
  • Pasta Types
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Restaurants and Pasta Companies
×

Home » Pasta Types » Vermicelli » Vermicelli

July 11, 2017

Vermicelli

 

 

vermicelli

Vermicelli, which means little worms, is a long dried durum wheat pasta which in Italy is thicker than spaghetti. However, apparently, it is thinner than spaghetti in USA. I wonder how that came about! The word vermicelli has also been adopted in other countries around the world to refer to various types of noodles such as Chinese rice noodles and Latin American fideo noodles.

In Italy, this is one of the oldest forms of pasta originating in Campania.  In fact, once upon a time, Neapolitan pasta makers were called ‘vermicellari’. Originally this pasta was made by hand and was shorter and not so straight. I guess it looked more like ‘little worms’ then than now!

vermicelli

vermicelli in Italy are thicker, in USA they are more like this fidelini or angel hair pasta.

There is evidence that vermicelli were being made and sold in Italy even as far back as the 13th century. However, there are references to ‘Vermishelsh’ (vermicelli) in Hebrew texts of the 11th century. So this is really one of the oldest forms of long pasta.

The first published recipe for vermicelli is in the fifteenth century book ‘The Art of Cooking’ (1464-65), by the famous Italian chef and gastronome Martino de Rossi, known as Maestro Martino. This book is considered a masterpiece of Italian gastronomic literature that documents the transition from Medieval to Renaissance cuisine in Italy. In The Art of Cooking there are several recipes for vermicelli, which the author (probably Europe’s first celebrity chef!) says can be stored for 2 or 3 years when dried in the sun!

vermicelli

In Southern Italy, especially Campania, Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria, there are many recipes for for these ‘little worms’! One of my favourites is ‘alla vesuviana’which being named after a volcano is obviously hot and spicy! Another recipe I adore is ‘di Scammaro’ which includes raisins, pine nuts, capers, anchovies and olives. Yum! I am also planning to cook this pasta with baccala, from a recipe from Puglia The list is pretty endless and makes me hungry just thinking about all those delicious dishes, just waiting for me to recreate in my Northern Italian kitchen!

vermicelli

For now, the first recipe I have posted on the Pasta Project for Italian vermicelli is a frittata from Basilicata. Pasta frittata is a very popular way to use up leftover pasta, but I often cook pasta just so that I can make a frittata. Have you ever eaten or cooked pasta frittata?

frittata vermicelli

Vermicelli frittata from Basilicata

Spaghetti or Vermicelli? 

There are many recipes which are popular throughout Italy and abroad but originated in the Southern Italian regions, like spaghetti with clams (alle vongole) In Campania, for example, this dish is more often eaten with ‘little worms’!. Very often it’s just a question of taste. Because vermicelli in Italy are thicker than spaghetti, many people prefer using a pasta that is slightly denser and consequently, in their opinion,  has more bite and is tastier in certain dishes. Others prefer spaghetti either because it’s finer or it has just become more common to use it in places where vermicelli is less popular or less available. Also for readers in the USA, the vermicelli found where you are is probably very fine, so another pasta such as spaghetti, fettucine or linguine would work better for Italian vermicelli recipes.

Buon Appetito

Filed Under: Campania, Pasta Types, Vermicelli Tagged With: dried pasta, vermicelli

Primary Sidebar

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… Read More

Top Italian Food Blog

3rd place in Top 50 Italian Food Blogs Awards by Feedspot

Italian Food Blogs

Follow Me

Tags

Abruzzo baked pasta calabria Campania dried pasta Emilia Romagna fresh pasta fusilli gnocchi homemade pasta lamb lasagna lasagne Lazio Le Marche Liguria linguine meat pasta mushrooms Northern Italy orecchiette paccheri pancetta pesto porcini Puglia quick and easy ragu Ravioli ricotta saffron Sardinia sausage seafood Sicily Southern Italy spaghetti tagliatelle tagliolini Trentino-Alto Adige tuna Tuscany vegan vegetarian Veneto

Visit My Shop

In my weekly newsletters, I write about my life in Italy, Italian places, traditions and culture, as well as other foods not just pasta! As a Pasta Project subscriber you'll also get a FREE recipe e-book series! Plus links to the latest recipes and posts.

So, sign up now and get the first recipe e-books to download!

Privacy Policy

Footer

  • Legal disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright & Disclaimer/ Terms of Use

Copyright © 2022 The Pasta Project on the Brunch Pro Theme