Pici
Encyclopedia
Pici is a thick, hand rolled pasta
, like a fat spaghetti
. It originates in the province of Siena
in Tuscany
; in the Montalcino
area it is also referred to as pinci.
The dough is typically made from flour and water only. The addition of egg is optional, being determined by family traditions.
The dough is rolled out in a thick flat sheet, then cut into strips. In some families, the strip of dough is rolled between one palm and the table, while the other hand is wrapped with the rest of the strip. It can also be formed by rolling the strip between the palms. Either method forms a thick pasta, slightly thinner than a common pencil. Unlike spaghetti or macaroni, this pasta is not uniform in size and has variations of thickness along its length.
It is eaten with a variety of foods, particularly:
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
, like a fat spaghetti
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin. Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water. Italian dried spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but outside of Italy it may be made with other kinds of flour...
. It originates in the province of Siena
Province of Siena
The Province of Siena is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena.It has an area of 3,821 km² , and a total population of 252,288 . There are 36 comuni in the province...
in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
; in the Montalcino
Montalcino
Montalcino is a hilltown and comune in Tuscany, Italy. It is famous for its Brunello di Montalcino wine.The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is 42 km from Siena, 110 km from Florence and 150 km from Pisa...
area it is also referred to as pinci.
The dough is typically made from flour and water only. The addition of egg is optional, being determined by family traditions.
The dough is rolled out in a thick flat sheet, then cut into strips. In some families, the strip of dough is rolled between one palm and the table, while the other hand is wrapped with the rest of the strip. It can also be formed by rolling the strip between the palms. Either method forms a thick pasta, slightly thinner than a common pencil. Unlike spaghetti or macaroni, this pasta is not uniform in size and has variations of thickness along its length.
It is eaten with a variety of foods, particularly:
| Food category | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| sauces | briciole | breadcrumbs |
| aglione | spicy garlicky tomato sauce | |
| boscaiola | porcini mushrooms | |
| ragù | a meat based sauce | |
| game meat | cinghiale | wild boar |
| lepre | hare | |
| anatra | duck |