There's so many different types of pasta to choose from, it can be hard to know where to begin! If you've ever wanted to know your fusilli from your fusilli lunghi, your conchiglioni from your lumaconi, then read on. We've teamed up with Garofalo to put together the perfect guide for you.

This tiny pasta is delicious in light brothy soups, like other small pastas. However, one of the most popular ways to prepare it in Italy is actually as anellini al forno, a cheesy tomato and sausage baked pasta that’s pure delight.

Boccole takes its name from the Italian word 'ringlet’, and its ridges make it perfect for hearty sauces. In fact, it's delicious with another Sicilian classic: pasta alla Norma. This tomato and aubergine pasta is finished with a generous amount of punchy ricotta salata and is allegedly named after Vincenzo Bellini’s beloved opera ‘Norma’.

Conchiglioni, the big brother to little conchiglie, is a large shell-shaped pasta. Stuffed conchiglioni (also known as ‘stuffed shells’) is a comforting Italian classic, a warming, cheesy plate of joy. Matt Beardmore’s slightly restrained spin on the classic is unapologetically veg and anchovy forward.

Skilfully drying pasta makes all the difference to the final product. At Pasta Garofalo, pasta goes through a careful drying process, with temperatures and times varying for each shape and stage of the process. This ensures each shape of pasta has optimal firmness, and the process is carefully monitored to safeguard against sudden changes in weather.

Elicoidali means ‘spiral’, and the name refers to the spiralised ridges that wrap around this pasta. It looks very similar to a slightly curved rigatoni, and its tubular shape and deep ridges means this pasta holds sauce really well.

Unlike most long pasta enjoyed in the UK, like spaghetti or linguine, fusilli lunghi comes in corkscrew curls. In fact, as you might guess from the name, it looks like a very long fusilli! Here, Matt Beardmore serves it with mussels and a simple white wine butter sauce.

Gnocchi sardi is a pasta shape originating in Sardinia, also known as 'malloreddus', which looks a little bit like a tiny, ridged cowrie shell. It's traditionally enjoyed at weddings, and is often served with a sausage and fennel ragù, but we also love it with spicy ‘nduja and tomato confit.

According to Alan Davidson's The Oxford Companion to Food, the first record of dried pasta in mainland Italy dates back to 1279, when ‘macaronis’ (meaning pasta) are mentioned in the estate of a man named Ponzio Bastone. While dried pasta is now something that most of us take for granted, for a long time it was a prized art form. You had to have exactly the right conditions to dry pasta slowly and evenly. Gragnano, the home of Garofalo pasta, is known for its perfect drying conditions.

While pasta is made all over Italy, only pasta produced in Gragnano, the home of Pasta Garofalo, can be certified as Pasta di Gragnano IGP. IGP stands for Indicazione Geografica Protetta, or Protected Geographical Indication, and it certifies both the origin and quality of a product. Pasta di Gragnano IGP is not only produced in Gragnano, but also has to be made with high quality durum wheat semolina, use bronze dies, achieve specific protein levels – even the type of water used is monitored! Garofalo are proud that their pasta is certified as Pasta di Gragnano IGP.

If you’ve ever had any Italian food, you’ve likely seen carbonara on the menu. However, did you know what pork it’s traditionally made with? It’s not pancetta, or bacon – it’s guanciale. This delicious cured pork jowl is essential in many of Rome’s most famous pastas: spaghetti alla carbonara, pasta alla gricia and pasta all'Amatriciana.

For the past few years, there has been an obsession with anything green: matcha lattes, green smoothies, pandan chiffon cake. Pasta has not escaped this trend. Joshua McFadden’s recipe is often pointed to as the first viral kale pasta, the sauce that launched a thousand saucepans. However, this is a sauce that is endlessly riffable, and always delicious. Meera Sodha’s miso butter version above is definitely worth a try.

Lumaconi is Italian for ‘big snails’, and this beautiful curving pasta mimics the shape of a snail’s shell. Like conchiglie, these shells are really delicious stuffed – although they’re much daintier than chunky conchiglioni. We’ve stuffed ours with creamy crab, and a light saffron-infused crab bisque. It’s topped with a fragrant parsley crumb for extra crunch.

Mafalda corta is a delightful ruffled pasta whose name has a surprisingly sad backstory. It’s named after an Italian princess – Princess Mafalda – who was killed during World War II. The frilly little pasta is generally long pieces, but mafalda corta – or short mafalda – comes in chunky short pieces instead.

Some of our favourite pasta recipes are made with nuts, or 'noci' in Italian: pesto, pasta con le sarde, walnuts sprinkled on top of pasta, crunchy almonds in pasta salad. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Italy is known for producing some of the best-tasting nuts in the world, like Bronte green pistachios or Piedmont hazelnuts. These are well worth seeking out if you ever want to treat yourself to some particularly special nuts.

Orecchiette – meaning ‘little ears’, because of it's surprisingly ear-like shape – is a small pasta from Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot. It's most famously served as orecchiette con cime di rapa, but is delicious with any kind of light pasta sauce.

Silky, ribbon-like pappardelle is a traditional Tuscan pasta shape. It’s often served with a slow-cooked ragù, traditionally made with wild game meats like hare or boar, but it’s just as good with a ragù alla bolognese. We love it with tomatoes and capers, like in the recipe by Ottolenghi above.

One of the many, many joys of pasta is that it’s quick. It cooks in 10 minutes – even less for smaller pasta shapes. And while some brilliant pasta sauces can take a while (see: wild boar ragù mentioned above!) others are lightning fast. Carbonara, pasta alla gricia, pasta con le sarde, puttanesca to name just a few. Check out Rosana McPhee’s recipe for cacio e pepe above, for a recipe that’s not just quick, it only needs four ingredients including salt and pepper!

Unlike its twin ziti, Roman rigatoni has deep ridges which are great for holding sauce. In fact, the name comes from the word rigati which means ridged. Unsurprisingly it’s often served with Roman sauces like rigatoni alla gricia, or rigatoni all'arrabbiata.

Spaghetti is probably the most famous, the most iconic pasta. It’s the pasta you think of when someone says ‘pasta’, and is enjoyed everywhere from Ethiopia to the Philippines. It’s even in the pasta emoji. However, even spaghetti isn’t a monolith. Spaghetti lunghi, for example, is a type of spaghetti that’s twice as long as regular spaghetti, so you'll need an extra large pot to fit it all in! Here, we've served it with lemony ricotta and charred asparagus.

Tinned tomatoes are eaten across Italy. San Marzano tomatoes from Campania are well known for being the ideal tinned tomato, famous for their delicious flavour and texture. However, did you know that tomatoes actually existed in Italy for 150 years before anyone was brave enough to try eating one – they were initially purely decorative! 

Despite the fact that there are almost as many shapes of pasta as there are stars in the sky, many of us can get stuck in a rut with pasta, buying the same shapes time and again. However, it's well worth seeking out something a bit more unusual. And who knows, it might become your new favourite!

Vongole – or clams – are an underrated ingredient in British home kitchens. They’re just as easy to cook as mussels, but tragically harder to find. They’re definitely worth seeking out, especially in the most famous Italian clam dish, spaghetti alle vongole, which is essentially spaghetti alio e olio with clams. Simple and elegant, it’s an ideal dish to make with fresh clams.

Garofalo’s wholewheat pasta is made with 100% unprocessed high fibre durum wheat semolina. Their wholewheat pasta has a particularly smooth texture, thanks to specialised milling techniques, and cooks in the same time as white pasta.

While pasta can definitely be a lighter dish, it’s also the perfect base for stretchy, cheesy comfort food – like macaroni and cheese or baked pasta. We have a whole guide for making the best macaroni cheese you’ve ever had, with recipes that include everything from chorizo to sauerkraut and a whopping 350g cheese!

Pasta and egg yolks get along like a house on fire. They are the base for silky carbonara, the filling for gooey ravioli, and the binder in towering pastitsio. They’re also delicious shaved over pasta in the form of cured egg yolks – which are easier to make than you think! Check out our carbonara recipe above, where we double down on egg yolks, using them in both the sauce and shaving them on top.

Ziti is best known in its short, chunky form. However, ziti also comes in another version: ziti lunghi. This tube-shaped pasta is perfect for pastitsio, a Greek classic, but can also be used in non-baked pasta like an extra-wide bucatini. Here, we’ve served it with crispy chorizo and a rich romesco sauce.