Ziti or zite is a shape of extruded pasta originating from the Italian regions of Campania and Sicily. It is shaped into long, wide tubes, about 25 cm long, that generally need to be broken by hand into smaller pieces before cooking. Ziti has similarities to bucatini, but is much thicker.

Etymology

Ziti is the plural form of zita and zitu, respectively meaning 'bride' and 'groom' in Sicilian. For this reason, ziti may also be rendered as zite in Italian (with the regular plural form for feminine nouns in -a). In the crime-drama series The Sopranos, the phrase box of ziti is used as a euphemism for one thousand dollars. This term has spread to become colloquial in New York. The term was used in Albany by Andrew Cuomo during the sentencing of Percoco v. United States in February 2018.

Composition and usage

Ziti strands are made of long and wide tubes, each being around 25 cm. Ziti has similarities to bucatini, rigatoni and penne. Ziti is created from durum wheat flour and water. It are also used to make pasta alla Norma. In Sicily, it is traditionally served at a wedding feast. Zitoni, or zitone, has a thicker cut than ziti, being in-between ziti and rigatoni.

Gallery

Baked ziti

Baked ziti is a casserole with ziti pasta and a Neapolitan-style tomato sauce. It is characteristic of Italian-American cuisine. It is a form of pasta al forno. Typically, the pasta is first boiled separately until it is nearly, but not completely, done. The almost-cooked pasta is added to a tomato-based sauce. The sauce-coated pasta is then combined with cheese, typically a mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Other ingredients can be added with the cheese, such as ground meat, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, and onions. The combined ingredients are placed in a baking dish, covered with mozzarella cheese, baked in the oven and served hot. If unavailable, ziti may be substituted for other tubular pastas such as penne or rigatoni.