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 and labeling of pasta for sale as a food product within the country is highly regulated. Italian regulations recognise three categories of commercially manufactured dried pasta as well as manufactured fresh and stabilized pasta: Pasta, or dried pasta with three subcategories – (i.) Durum wheat semolina pasta ("pasta di semola di grano duro"), (ii.) Low grade durum wheat semolina pasta ("pasta di semolato di grano duro") and (iii.) Durum wheat whole meal pasta ("pasta di semola integrale di grano duro"). Pastas made under this category must be made only with durum wheat semolina or durum wheat whole-meal semolina and water,