Pasta Almanac

The difference

Pisarei vs Cavatelli

Both are small thumb-dragged dumplings with a hollow that grabs sauce, but pisarei are northern, from Piacenza, made with a dough of flour and breadcrumb that sets them apart from plain gnocchi. Cavatelli are southern and semolina, rolled into a curled shell. The breadcrumb dough is the pisarei signature, and the bean sauce of pisarei e fasò is its home.

Pisarei

Family
Hand-formed regional
Size
not yet measured
Surface
Textured
Cook
n/a

Wants: Bean and legume soups, Ragu, Tomato sauce

Gouache illustration of Cavatelli

Cavatelli

Family
Hand-formed regional
Size
not yet measured
Surface
Textured
Cook
15 to 18 min

Wants: Sausage ragu, Broccoli rabe, Tomato sauce

Compare more shapes, or look up Pisarei and Cavatelli in full.

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