Busiate

Busiate are a Sicilian pasta shaped as long spirals made from durum wheat semolina and water. Traditionally they are handmade fresh pasta, but they are also widely produced as dry durum wheat pasta.

A rope of dough about as thick as a heavy spaghetto is wound in a spiral around a thin rod and then slipped off. The result is a springy coil about 10–15 cm long with a hollow inside where the sauce collects.

The name is usually traced to the Sicilian busa, the stem of a wild grass on which the dough was once rolled; today a metal rod is more common. The shape comes from the province of Trapani in western Sicily.

The dough is made from durum wheat semolina, often finely re-milled, and warm water, without eggs. It is rolled into thin ropes, cut into lengths, and each is wound round the rod by rolling it across the board, then slid off.

Fresh busiate cook in 5–8 minutes, dry ones usually in 12–15 minutes. The tight spiral stays springy even after cooking.

The classic pairing is pesto alla trapanese: raw tomatoes, almonds, basil, garlic, olive oil and grated cheese, often pecorino. Busiate are also served with fish sauces, swordfish and aubergines.

When buying dry busiate, check that the ingredients are only semolina and water and that the surface is matt and rough. The spirals should be whole; slight irregularity is typical of hand or semi-hand production.