Rustichella d'Abruzzo Cavatelli

From an Italian expression of cavare, meaning "to get, to carve," this small pasta has the five thumbprints reminiscent of the motion of getting or grabbing something. The fingerprints are left on the dough from the slight rolling motion of the pasta maker. Traditionally served in a dish with fresh wild arugula and a grating of pecorino romano, cavatelli would also be perfect in soup or with hearty meat or vegetable ragu.

In 1924, Gaetano Sergiacomo started making rustic pasta using the whole wheat flour produced at his family’s stone mill in the small town of Penne in Abruzzo. In 1981, his daughter, Nicolina Peduzzi, decided to revive the pastificio (pasta factory), naming the new product line Rustichella d’Abruzzo. Soon after, Nicolina’s adult children Gianluigi and Stefania joined the family business, and within a few years, the small pastificio had grown into one of the most extensive artisanal pasta lines in Italy. Today, Rustichella d’Abruzzo offers a diverse selection of pasta, pasta sauce, holiday goods and more.