ziti

Bigger than bucatini but smaller than penne. Originally from Puglia, they are popular in oven dishes, with tomato and cheese, or ham or aubergines or seafood (ziti al tonno is probably the origin of the humble American tuna casserole). Sometimes stuffed with ricotta, though that's hard work, unless you have zitoni, the big version, even though they sound like teenage boys with acne problems.

The name, in fact, means ‘bachelors’ or ‘bridegrooms’; in Sicily and Campania, baked ziti is a classic wedding dish.

ziti alla reggiana: cooked in the oven wih mozzarrella, aubergines, meat sauce and pecorino cheese (Calabria).

Also known as boccolotti