Under Italian law, dry pasta (pasta secca) can only be made from durum wheat flour or durum wheat semolina. Durum flour and durum semolina have a yellow tinge in color. Italian pasta is traditionally cooked al dente (Italian: "firm to the bite", meaning not too soft). Outside Italy, dry pasta is frequently made from other types of flour (such as wheat flour), but this yields a softer product that cannot be cooked al dente. There are many types of wheat flour with varying gluten and protein depending on variety of grain used.
Particular varieties of pasta may also use other grains and milling methods to make the flour, as specified by law. Some pasta varieties, such as pizzoccheri,are made from buckwheat flour. Fresh pasta may include eggs (pasta all'uovo 'egg pasta'). Whole wheat pasta has become increasingly popular because of its perceived health benefits. Most whole wheat pastas have a mixture of whole grain and regular grain ingredients.
There are many hundreds of different types of pasta, both fresh and dried, that can be served with a sauce or in salads and soups. Long and short shapes are the most common, but there are also stuffed shapes and tiny shapes for use in soup. Among these, there are some less well known regional shapes and the more unusual and decorative designer shapes.
When buying dried pasta, choose one that is made using 100% durum wheat. If you decant pasta into storage jars, use up any remaining pasta before adding more from a new packet. Older pasta may take longer to cook than that from a fresher packet, and different brands of the same shape may not necessarily have the same cooking time.
When buying freshly made pasta, buy it on the day you need it; otherwise keep it in its wrapping and use it within 1-2 days of purchase (or according to the storage time given on the packet). Fresh pasta is made with egg, which shortens its storage time but, on the plus side, this increases its nutritional value and flavour, and gives the plain varieties a lovely yellow colour.