Farfalle
Also known as: bow-tie pasta, butterfly pasta, strichetti
Short dry pasta shaped like a butterfly or bow tie, made from durum wheat semolina and water; it comes from Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.
Farfalle («butterflies») are a short dry pasta shaped like a butterfly or bow tie: a rectangular or oval piece of dough pinched in the middle. They are made from durum wheat semolina and water. Barilla and De Cecco name Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy as their home.
Composition by law. Under Italy's DPR 187/2001, «durum wheat semolina pasta» is semolina and water only. Moisture is at most 12.5%, protein at least 10.5% of dry matter, and soft-wheat flour may make up no more than 3%. Wholemeal pasta must have at least 11.5% protein.
Name and history. Barilla writes that farfalle date back to the 16th century. The Treccani dictionary describes «farfalle» as a small soup pasta shaped like little bows; today the tiny ones are sold as farfalline, while ordinary farfalle are cooked as a dish in their own right.
How to cook. Barilla cooks its farfalle for 11–12 minutes, De Cecco its n° 93 for 13 minutes, al dente at 11. Salt the water but add no oil: Barilla says oil stops the sauce clinging to the pasta. De Cecco suggests light sauces — butter with peas and ham, salmon and cream, mild soft cheeses; both producers also mention pasta salads.
Why it matters to you. On the pack, look for «pasta di semola di grano duro»: the ingredients are only semolina and water. USDA advises keeping unopened dry pasta without eggs for up to 2 years and opened for up to 1 year; cooked pasta keeps 3–5 days in the fridge or 1–2 months in the freezer.
Facts
What it includes
Results: 89 of 89
B
D
- De Cecco Farfalle Medie n.193
- De Cecco Farfalle Medie n.193 KAMUT®
- De Cecco Farfalle n.93
- De Cecco Farfalle n.93 Biologiche
- De Cecco Farfalle n.93 con Spinaci
- De Cecco Farfalle n.93 High Protein
- De Cecco Farfalle n.93 Integrali
- De Cecco Farfalle n.93 Tricolore
- De Cecco Farfalline n.695 all'uovo
- De Cecco Farfalline n.95
- Delverde Farfalle n.222
- Delverde Farfalle n.5
- Delverde Farfalle Tricolore n.5
- Delverde Farfalle Wholewheat Organic n.122
- Di Martino Farfalle
- Di Martino Farfalle Barbie
- Divella Farfalle al Pomodoro e Spinaci n.85
- Divella Farfalle n.85
- Divella Farfallette n.97
F
G
- Gallo Mini pajaritas
- Gallo Pajaritas con tomate y espinacas
- Garofalo Farfalle Integrali
- Garofalo Farfalle n.78
- Garofalo Farfalle Senza Glutine
- Garofalo Farfalline n.23
- Granoro Cuore Mio Farfalle n.198
- Granoro Dedicato Farfalle Integrale n.255
- Granoro Dedicato Farfalle n.198
- Granoro Dedicato Farfalline all'Uovo n.112
- Granoro Dedicato Farfalline n.78
- Granoro Dedicato Farfalloni n.79
- Granoro Farfalle Bio Integrale n.198
- Granoro Farfalle Bio n.198
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- La Fabbrica della Pasta Farfalle Giganti IGP
- La Fabbrica della Pasta Farfalle giganti tricolore
- La Fabbrica della Pasta Farfalloni IGP
- La Fabbrica della Pasta Farfalloni Tricolore
- La Molisana Farfalle rigate integrali n.66
- La Molisana Farfalle rigate n.66
- La Molisana Farfalline all'uovo n.208
- La Molisana Farfalline n.68
- Liguori Farfalle
- Liguori Farfalle Biologiche
- Liguori Farfalle Integrali Bio
- Liguori Farfalline
- Lubella Kokardki
- Lubella Kokardki Małe
- Lubella Kokardki Pełnoziarniste
- Lubella Mini Kokardki
- Lustucru Farfalles 3 Minutes
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R
How it connects to Pasta
Farfalle → kind of → Dry durum wheat pasta → kind of → 🍝 Pasta
Links
- What it contains
- Semolina, 🌾 Durum wheat
- Part of
- Dry durum wheat pasta
- Similar and different
- Pastai Gragnanesi Pasta Laminata, Barilla I Classici, Barilla Integrale, Granoro Dedicato Formati Classici, Granoro Dedicato Integrale, Delverde Pasta di Semola, Barilla Piccolini, Rummo Le Classiche, Delverde Wholewheat Organic, Voiello Pasta Corta
and 42 more
Divella Fantasie Ghiotte, Delverde Classic Range, De Cecco Pasta Integrale, Granoro Bio, Granoro Bio Integrale, De Cecco Pasta Bio, De Cecco High Protein, Granoro Cuore Mio, De Cecco Paste Speciali, Garofalo Pasta di Semola di Grano Duro, Garofalo Pasta Integrale Biologica, Garofalo Pasta Senza Glutine, Pasta Zara Linea Classica, Lubella Klasyczny, Lubella Pełne Ziarno, Lubella Mini, Panzani Courtes classiques, Panzani Les 3 Minutes, Liguori Integrali BIO, Liguori Biologiche IGP, Makarony Polskie Klasyczne, Di Martino Barbie, Il Re della Pasta Pasta Corta, Gallo Ensaladas, Bernbacher Bella Pasta, Lustucru 3 Minutes, Filiz Klasik, Tress Exklusiv, Divella Pasta di semola, Rummo Le Integrali, Rummo Le Bio Integrali, De Cecco Pasta di semola, Rummo Linea Professionale, Agnesi Le Pastine, Gallo Clásica, Di Martino Pasta di Gragnano IGP, Benedetto Cavalieri Pasta di Semola di Grano Duro, Pastai Gragnanesi Pasta Corta, Rustichella d'Abruzzo Pasta all'Uovo, Valfleuri Pâtes d'Alsace, Pâtes Grand'Mère Classiques, La Molisana Le Integrali
Frequently asked questions
What are farfalle?
A short dry pasta made from durum wheat semolina and water, shaped like a bow tie with a pinch in the centre; the name means «butterflies».
Is it true that farfalle contain eggs?
No. Under Italian law, ordinary farfalle are semolina and water only; egg pasta is a separate kind and says so in its name, as in farfalline all'uovo.
How long should farfalle be cooked?
It depends on the producer: Barilla 11–12 minutes, De Cecco n° 93 13 minutes, al dente at 11. Follow the pack.
Which sauce suits farfalle?
Light ones: butter with peas and ham, salmon and cream, mild soft cheeses (De Cecco), vegetable and fish sauces, oil-based sauces (Barilla); also pasta salads.
How long do farfalle keep?
According to USDA FoodKeeper, dry pasta without eggs keeps up to 2 years unopened and up to 1 year opened; cooked, 3–5 days in the fridge.
What to read next
- 🌾 Durum wheat — A wheat species with very hard grain and strong gluten, milled into semolina for dry pasta and couscous.
- Pastai Gragnanesi Pasta Laminata — The rolled dry pasta category of the Pastai Gragnanesi cooperative in Gragnano; it currently lists bronze-drawn farfalle.
- Barilla I Classici — Barilla's core range of dry pasta made from durum wheat semolina and water: 44 long, short and soup shapes.
- Garofalo Pasta di Semola di Grano Duro — Garofalo's core range of dry pasta from durum wheat semolina and water, drawn through bronze dies and sold as Pasta di Gragnano PGI.
- Delverde Pasta di Semola — Delverde's core range of dry pasta made from durum wheat semolina and spring water: 46 long, short and soup shapes.
Similar
Linguine · Casarecce · Tortiglioni · Fusilli · Spaghetti · Penne
Sources
- D.P.R. 9 febbraio 2001, n. 187, art. 6 — sfarinati e paste alimentari (Normattiva)
- De Cecco — Farfalle n° 93 (scheda prodotto)
- Barilla — Farfalle (Classic Blue Box)
- Treccani — Vocabolario: farfalla
- USDA FSIS FoodKeeper — Pasta (dry, without eggs); Cooked pasta