Egg pasta

Egg pasta is pasta whose dough is made with hen's eggs instead of, or together with, water. The eggs give it a deep yellow colour, a richer taste and an elastic dough that can be rolled out very thin.

In Italy its composition is set by article 8 of Presidential Decree no. 187 of 9 February 2001: egg pasta is made only from semolina and at least four whole hen's eggs without shell, weighing no less than 200 g in total per kilogram of semolina. The eggs may be replaced by liquid egg product made from whole eggs. Dry egg pasta has at most 12.5 % moisture and at least 12.5 % protein on dry matter, and it may only be sold as "pasta all'uovo". In the EU, Regulation 1169/2011 requires two allergens to be highlighted on the label: eggs and wheat, which contains gluten.

Composition and making: industrial dry egg pasta is made from durum wheat semolina, while fresh home-made egg pasta often uses soft wheat flour; in Emilia-Romagna the traditional rule is roughly one egg per 100 g of flour. The dough is kneaded, rested, rolled into a thin sheet (sfoglia) by rolling pin or machine, cut into ribbons and then sold fresh or dried in nests.

Main kinds: tagliatelle, fettuccine, pappardelle, fine tagliolini and lasagne sheets. Maccheroncini di Campofilone, thin egg pasta from the Marche region, is a protected geographical indication (PGI) in the EU. The same dough is used for filled pasta such as tortellini and ravioli.

How to cook and serve: dry egg pasta cooks a little faster than dry durum wheat pasta, and fresh pasta needs only a few minutes. The porous dough absorbs creamy and meat sauces well: tagliatelle go with Bolognese ragù, tagliolini with butter and parmesan, pappardelle with game or mushroom sauces.

Why it matters: egg pasta is more filling and nutritious than plain pasta, but people with an egg allergy must avoid it. Genuine egg pasta is easy to recognise from the ingredient list: semolina and eggs, without added water or colourings.