Everyone knows and loves spaghetti and, indeed, most people are familiar with other pastas: slender vermicelli, stuffed manicotti, twisty rotini, rigatoni, fettuccini, ziti and so on. Some pastas, however, are less familiar and deserve more attention than they get.

Homaloni

Anyone over the age of 13 who eats this will die horribly in the third act.

Mandatori

Once you cook it, you have to eat it. All of it. Or else.

Wini

Popular with financial consultants and COBOL programmers. Usually shaped like bow ties or little propellers. Not to be confused with:

Twiti

Often terved wid a feddewy yewwow tauce. A favowite wid puddy-tats.

Grotti (also known as Scuzzi)

Great time saving idea. You don't have to make a sauce. It comes already coated with somthing. Intriguing surprise. Not to be confused with Snotti, about which the less said, the better.

l-Rotini (laevo-Rotini)

Rotini with 100% left hand twist. Normal rotini is dextro- rotini. See W.T. Door, "Chirality in pastas and yeast breads", J. Culinary Geometry, July 1931, pp.703-91.

Pussi

A international favorite, especially tasty with a spinach sauce. In Boston it is considered rude to eat Pussi in public.

Lambourghini

World's fastest and most expensive pasta. Only 200 servings are made each year.

Petrolcelli

Rather unpopular due to the high Vaseline(tm) content.

Vedditoni

Served only in the homes of the most chic hostesses and in a very few of the most exclusive restaurants.