The smooth thimble, it is a very common format in the Sicilian tradition, loved by young and old, perfect for the pasta alla norma, for the pasta and patayou or for fish first courses.
„Ditale” in Italian means „thimble”. So, the ditali pasta group contains 3 sizes of short pasta tubes; ditaloni, ditali, ditalini; big thimbles, little thimbles, and very little thimbles!
Ditalini are pretty small and mostly used in soups. Ditaloni and ditali are bigger and work well in creamier soups, in salads, pasta bakes, and with a number of pasta sauces including tomato, meat, and seafood sauces. All three sizes can be found in two versions, grooved „rigate” or smooth „lisci”. Grooved pasta is usually served with heavier sauces and smooth pasta in soups or with lighter sauces.
These ditali pasta shapes are normally sold and used as dry pasta and originated in Southern Italy, particularly Campania. But they are used in many traditional dishes, especially soups in Calabria and Sicily.
