ACINI DI PEPE

Literally "peppercorns," small balls of pasta used in broth.

AGNOLOTTI

Literally "priests' caps," small stuffed pasta in the shape of a half moon. Similar to mezzelune.

AL DENTE
The famous phrase, pronounced AHL DEN-tay, literally means "to the teeth" in Italian. Pasta is considered cooked to an ideal degree of doneness where it is firm, but not hard. The term refers to the need to chew the pasta due to its firmness.

AL FORNO
Literally, "in the oven," this refers to baked dishes. These include cannelloni, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, manicotti, stuffed shells and others. The pasta is boiled first, then stuffed (as appropriate), sauced and finished in the oven.

ALPHABETS or ALFABETO

Small pasta in the shapes of the alphabet, used for children's soups.

ANELLINI

Literally, "small rings," tiny rings of pasta for soup.

ANGEL HAIR or CAPELLI D'ANGELO
Angel hair is the thinnest of all pasta-long, fine, delicate, round strands. It is best

used with thinner, more delicate tomato-based and broth-based sauces (or simply toss with butter or olive oil). It is used in Asian dishes as well (for example, mai fun). Because it is so thin, it cooks in just two minutes. Use angel hair for light entrees and side dishes. Neapolitans serve it with shrimp and vegetables. Ligurians like it with basil pesto; Venetians serve it with creamy asparagus sauce. Any additions-vegetables, seafood, poultry-should be finely chopped to match the delicacy of the strands. 
Angel hair pasta from RossiPasta.com.

ANIMA
Literally the "soul" of the pasta, the white uncooked core. If the anima is large, the pasta is not thoroughly cooked. If it is a small dot, the pasta is al dente and ready to be eaten.

ARMONICHE
These ridged cylindrical pasta, pronounced ahr-moe-NEE-kay, are one of the most interesting and attractive shapes-excellent for catching sauce.

ARRABBIATA
A classic spicy tomato sauce preparation, often found as Penne all'Arrabbiata, that

includes a garlic, basil and a hot Chile pepper. Arrabbiata means "angry" in Italian; the hot Chile provides the "anger." 
Photo at left of Spaghetti all'Arrabbiata, courtesy
of SXC.

ARTISANAL PASTA or ARTISAN PASTA 
While artisanal producers, making small-batches of higher quality pasta, use the same basic ingredients as larger commercial producers, there are two key differences that create a better-tasting, "connoisseur" product. First, they extrude their pasta through bronze dies that leave microstriations (ridges, grooves, etc.) to capture and hold the sauce. Second, they dry the pasta at lower temperatures. While this takes longer, it preserves the fine flavors of the wheat.

ASIAN NOODLES

Asian noodles are available in a broad variety of shapes and size. They can be made of wheat, rice or buckwheat flour, mung bean threads, arrowroot starch, bean curd skin, sweet potato starch, and tofu. Some Chinese noodles contain eggs, e.g. Chinese egg noodles, although the majority of Asian noodles do not. Unlike Italian noodles, Asian noodles are generally not eaten with sauce, but are stir-fried or used in soups and salads. 
Rice sticks from GourmetFoodMall.com.

BLÉ NOIR
The French term for buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is a whole grain flour.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE 
Ragù alla bolognese (pronounced rah-GOO ah-lah boe-loe-NYAY-zee, also known as Bolognese sauce) is a tomato-based sauce made with ground pork, beef and pancetta.

BOW TIE PASTA 
See farfalle.

BRONZE CUT
Pasta extruded (pushed out during the shaping process) through special bronze dies, which is the old-fashioned method. High-production methods use steel dies. Bronze dyes leave a rough surface on the pasta that helps sauces cling better. The more textured mouth feel is also appreciated by connoisseurs.

BUCATINI
From "buco" for hole, hollow, bucatini (boo-cah-TEE-nee) are spaghetti-like strands of

pasta that are thicker than spaghetti, with a thin, drinking straw-like hole down the center. They can be ridged (bucatini rigati). Bucatini originated in central Italy, but became popular in Rome, especially in the classic dish, Bucatini alla Matriciana, which has a light, spicy sauce made of tomatoes, pancetta, red pepper flakes, and grated Pecorino cheese.

BUCKWHEAT
Neither a wheat nor a grain (because it is not a member of the grass family), buckwheat was first cultivated in southeast Asia. The flour is noticeably darker than wheat flour and has been known as blé noir (pronounced blay nwah, French for "black flour," an exaggeration). The flour is produced from the seed. Buckwheat pancakes are known as blini in Russia, galettes in France and ployes in eastern Canada. In Europe and Eurasia, the seed is also made into buckwheat groats, also called kasha. Buckwheat is gluten-free, and can be eaten by people who have adverse reactions to gluten. Buckwheat is also a good honey plant, yielding a dark honey that captures the distinctive, earthy buckwheat flavor.