Why does pasta come in so many shapes if it all tastes the same?

Answer 1

Different shapes hold the sauce differently. Shells can hold a lot and spaghetti holds a little.

Answer 2

pasta would be very boring if there was only one shape. The whole idea of pasta is the sauces that accompany it,each sauce tastes better if used with a particular type of pasta

Answer 3

Because each shape serves a different purpose. Yes, you can use any pasta you want in just about any dish, but it would make the dish taste different.
Pastas like spaghetti and angel hair pair well with regular sauce while tube pastas like ziti and tend to soak the pasta into the tubes making them more flavorful.
Same goes with shells....you can stuff cheese into shell and manicotti, but you wouldn't be able to make the same recipe if you used spaghetti. It would be like making lasagna with spaghetti, it just wouldn't work.
As far as cold recipes goes, pastas like bowties, elbow, and the spiral shapes tend to hold their shapes well when mixed with heavy ingredients like dressings and vege's.

Answer 4

Most pastas are semolina - they all are made out of the same "stuff" but they have different tastes and textures based on how they're cooked, seasoning in the water, sauces, etc. Then there are whole wheat pastas, and spinach pastas, and filled pastas, and potato pastas...

Answer 5

some pasta shapes work better with specific types of sauces.if it is a sloppy suace,it is nice in pasta shells.
some pasta shapes are traditionally used with certain sauces
but it's up to you,they all taste the same!

Answer 6

Each one has a distinctive mouth feel and holds onto the sauces differently. Let's take fettucine alfredo for example: it's nice and creamy and the pasta is wide, slightly chewy, and hearty. Now imagine making the same dish with angel hair. It would taste the same but it would feel much much different in your mouth, it would feel slimy, like eating a bowl of snot.

Answer 7

because it's not all about taste, texture has a lot to do w/ it too, and the different shapes stand up to different styles of cooking. Also some of the noodles are made to be stuffed(ravioli, manicotti) or baked (lasagna) And, the different shapes enhance the visual experience.

Answer 8

pasta comes in my shapes : tube , spiral , shell & many other shapes, this type of pasta can hold much more sauce than the plain variety.

Answer 9

The texture of a food can also add to the overall effect of a great meal. Different pasta shapes have different textures, also the aesthetics e.g. bolognese with penne just does'nt look as good.

Answer 10

It's all for the kids. Pasta is one of the favorite foods of children, and we make it in different shapes to keep them entertained (and out of our hair) longer. ; )