Pasta Almanac

The difference

Pici vs Bucatini

Both are thick round strands, but pici is hand rolled from flour and water with no hole, the rustic Tuscan one, while bucatini is a smooth extruded strand pierced down the center. Pici's rough surface grabs garlicky tomato, bucatini's hollow pulls sauce inside for amatriciana.

Gouache illustration of Pici

Pici

Family
Hand-formed regional
Size
200 to 500 mm long
Surface
Textured
Cook
5 to 8 min

Wants: Aglione, Cacio e pepe, Wild boar ragu

Gouache illustration of Bucatini

Bucatini

Family
Long strands
Size
250 to 300 mm long
Surface
Smooth
Cook
7 to 11 min

Wants: Amatriciana, Gricia, Cacio e pepe

Compare more shapes, or look up Pici and Bucatini in full.