Conchiglie are a type of pasta. They are usually sold in the plain durum wheat variety, and also in colored varieties which use natural pigments, such as tomato extract, squid ink or spinach extract. The shell shape of the pasta allows the sauce to adhere to it. A miniature variety called conchigliette is also available. Conchiglie are claimed to have been traced back to southern Italy, where they were traditionally made using durum wheat semolina.

Etymology

The name derives from the Italian word for 'seashell', conchiglia. The Italian word conchiglie and the English word conch share the same Greek root in the form of κοχύλι, meaning 'shell'.

Other names

In the 1930s, fascism celebrated the Italian colonial empire with new pasta shapes recalling the African lands: tripoline (Tripoli), bengasine (Bengasi), assabesi (Assab), and abissine (Abissinia). In 2021, after an outcry in objection to pasta brand La Molisana's advertising campaign, abissine' were renamed as "conchiglie". However, some complained, claiming this renaming constituted cancel culture.