What does tagliatelle mean?
Tagliatelle is a traditional Italian pasta made from thin, flat ribbons of dough, usually flour and eggs. Its name is related to the Italian word for cutting and describes its ribbon-like shape. Although fettuccine is also a ribbon pasta, tagliatelle is generally narrower. In English, the pasta is normally named in the plural, so one speaks of “a bowl of tagliatelle” rather than “a bowl of tagliatelle pasta” or “a tagliatella.” It is served with a variety of sauces, including pesto, tomato, and meat-based preparations, and is now a familiar dish outside Italy as well. Knowing that the ending -elle reflects Italian diminutive morphology adds an etymological detail to an otherwise familiar menu item.
nounLong, thin ribbons of Italian pasta, usually made with eggs and cut to resemble narrow ribbons. It is commonly served with sauces such as pesto or tomato sauce.
- A type of long, flat, narrow-ribbon pasta, traditionally made with flour and eggs and served with sauce.
"We shared a bowl of tagliatelle with pesto and Parmesan."
"The restaurant serves tagliatelle with a rich mushroom sauce."
"Fresh tagliatelle is available at the market on Saturdays."
The form is normally invariant in English; both a single serving and multiple servings are called tagliatelle.
"There was enough tagliatelle for everyone at the table."
The name means “little ribbons” in Italian, describing pasta cut into slender strips.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tagliatelle come from?
Tagliatelle comes from Italian, where it is the plural of tagliatello, a diminutive formed from tagliare, “to cut.” The name refers to the pasta's ribbon-like strips. Tagliatello and the closely related tagliolini belong to the same Italian culinary word family, with the latter denoting finer ribbons of pasta.
How tagliatelle is actually used
The word is originally Italian and is normally used in the invariant plural form in English. It is commonly associated with Italian cuisine but is now widely used in international cooking.
Easily confused with tagliatelle
Tagliatelle is the plural form and also the customary English name for the pasta, whereas tagliatello is the Italian singular.
Tagliatelle ribbons are generally narrower than the wider, flatter ribbons of fettuccine.