Pasta Almanac

The difference

Busiate vs Fusilli

Both are spirals, but busiate is a long Sicilian coil wound by hand around a thin reed, while fusilli is a short factory corkscrew. Busiate is the traditional shape for pesto alla trapanese, fusilli the everyday spiral that grips any sauce.

Gouache illustration of Busiate

Busiate

Family
Hand-formed regional
Size
200 mm long
Surface
Textured
Cook
8 to 10 min

Wants: Pesto Trapanese, Tomato sauce, Mixed seafood

Gouache illustration of Fusilli

Fusilli

Family
Shaped shorts
Size
35 to 40 mm long
Surface
Smooth
Cook
8 to 11 min

Wants: Pesto Genovese, Neapolitan ragu, Vodka sauce

Keep exploring

See the full profiles for Busiate and Fusilli, or compare more shapes.

Newsletter

Pasta mail

A new shape now and then, plus whatever pasta rabbit hole we fell down lately. No spam, promise.