Bucatini

Thanks to Simon and Garfunkel, the fresh herbs in this dish are forever linked. But the folk duo probably never knew how good they are on top of al dente bucatini, a thicker-than-spaghetti hollow noodle.

Maccheroni e Melanzane This is a pasta dish that is served in Sicilian homes and home-style restaurants, rather than upscale places. The recipe calls for perciatelli or bucatini, which is what Italians consider maccheroni.

Bucatini al Fuoco, from Basilicata The ingenuity of Basilicata's kitchen is embodied in this simple pasta: three ingredients, easy to come by and inexpensive, are combined to make a formidably tasty sauce. The method of pounding garlic and chili peppers into a paste, then cooking the paste in olive oil, is common to Basilicata and Calabria and elevates the ordinary aglio, olio e peperoncino of central and southern Italy to new heights of piquancy.