Pasta different names depending upon the town and region. Common forms of pasta include long and short shapes, tubes, flat shapes or sheets, miniature shapes for soup, those meant to be filled or stuffed, and specialty or decorative shapes. As a category in Italian cuisine, both fresh and dried pastas are classically used in one of three kinds of prepared dishes: as "pasta asciutta" (or "pastasciutta"), cooked pasta is plated and served with a complementary side sauce or condiment; a second classification of pasta dishes is "pasta in brodo", in which the pasta is part of a soup-type dish. A third
Pasta pasta. In 2009, retail sales of pasta represented a $2.8 billion market in Italy, $1.4 billion in Germany, and $1.2 billion in France. In 2016, Italy was the world's largest exporter of pasta, with $2.8 billion sold, followed by China with $1.1 billion. The United States was the largest importer of pasta in 2016, with $1 billion acquired, followed by Germany and the UK. When cooked, plain pasta is composed of 62% water, 31% carbohydrates (26% starch), 6% protein, and 1% fat. A 100 gram portion of unenriched cooked pasta provides 160 Calories and a moderate level of manganese (15%