Taglierini is a type of pasta that consists of long, ribbon-like noodles. It is one of the several types of pasta that comes from Italy, a country known for a variety of noodle recipes. Taglierini is not as well known as spaghetti, which comprises thin strings; macaroni, which consists of cylinders or tubes; or lasagna, which are pasta sheets. The pasta is usually likened to tagliatelle due to its characteristically long, flat and thick ribbons, although it is the thinner version. Fettuccine can be considered a sibling of taglierini and tagliatelle, but it is wider than either of them.
Taglierini falls under the egg pasta, or pasta all’uovo, category. This means that egg is the major ingredient when making this type of pasta. Taglierini traditionally requires six newly laid Italian eggs and semolina flour for production. The egg dough is then dried in a low temperature.
The taglierini pasta is said to have originated in the Emilia-Romagna region. This is an area of northern Italy that combines two administrative regions, thus the hyphenated name. In some cases, the pasta’s origin is attributed to Emilia-Romagna’s capital city, Bologna, which is home to the University of Bologna, the world’s oldest university. Unsurprisingly, the taglierini recipe is quite popular in this particular city.
Another Italian region in which the pasta enjoys great popularity is Piedmont. It is also located in northern Italy, actually sharing borders with Emilia-Romagna to the north. There, the pasta is called tajarin.
Taglierini is usually served in two ways. Some people may prefer the pasta eaten with truffles, a dish that is called tajarin al tartufi. Others might prefer a meat roast sauce with it, in which case the dish is called tajarin al sugo do arrosto.
There are several other popular ways of eating taglierini, such as having it with ragu, which is a type of meat-based sauce. A popular type of ragu that's served with taglierini is ragu alla Bolognese, or Bolognese sauce, named after Bologna, the city of its origin. Traditionally, this ragu sauce is made with tomato paste, beef, meat broth, pancetta, onions, white wine and milk or cream. The pasta can also be served with another popular ragu, ragu alla napoletana, or Neapolitan ragu, which is named for the city of Naples.