🦑 Cuttlefish ink

Cuttlefish ink is the dark fluid from the ink sac of the cuttlefish (Sepia, most often the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis), and in pasta it is the ingredient behind black spaghetti, linguine and tagliolini, known in Italian as "al nero di seppia". Its colour comes from melanin, the same kind of pigment found in skin and hair.

Fishmongers and processors collect the ink sacs when cleaning cuttlefish; the ink is sold liquid with water and salt, pasteurised in jars or sachets, or dried to a powder. Pasta makers mix it into durum wheat semolina or egg dough. Labels show about 1% ink powder, as in La Fabbrica della Pasta, and 1.3–4% liquid ink in egg pasta from Leonardo Carassai, La Campofilone and Marcozzi. Rustichella d'Abruzzo, Felicetti, Verrigni, Liguori and Spinosi also make black pasta, sometimes with a little fish powder or lemon juice.

The colour is deep black and survives drying and cooking. The taste is subtle: a gentle marine, slightly salty note rather than a fishy one. Black pasta is classic with cuttlefish, squid, prawns, clams or a simple garlic, olive oil and chilli dressing; strong cheese is usually avoided.

Cuttlefish is a mollusc, and molluscs are one of the 14 allergens that Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 requires to be highlighted, so ink pasta is unsuitable for people with mollusc allergy. Under the Italian Decree DPR 187/2001 dry pasta with added ingredients is sold as "pasta speciale". "Squid ink" on menus is often cuttlefish ink in practice; the label shows which one is used.