Pasta is a compact subcategory of freshly dried egg pasta from the Espiga Blanca brand. The range concentrates on tagliatelle in unconventional flavours - mushroom, truffle and cuttlefish (coloured with cuttlefish ink), complemented by tricolour and classic versions and the wider pappardelle Zig-Zag. It is a premium alternative to ordinary pasta, where the flavour and colour come directly from the dough.
How to find your way around this category
Cuttlefish tagliatelle are coloured with natural cuttlefish ink to a characteristic black, with a gently sea-like taste - a classic with seafood. Truffle and mushroom tagliatelle carry a pronounced earthy flavour in the dough itself. Tricolour tagliatelle combine classic, spinach and tomato dough for a colourful appearance on the plate. Pappardelle Zig-Zag are wider ribbons with a wavy edge, suited to heartier sauces.
Flavoured pasta only needs to be accompanied by a simple sauce - butter, olive oil or light cream - for its own flavour to come through.
Overview of the pasta
Pasta
Characteristics
Recommended pairing
Cuttlefish tagliatelle
Black, gently sea-like flavour
Seafood, fish sauces
Truffle tagliatelle
Earthy, pronounced flavour
Butter, cream sauce
Mushroom tagliatelle
Mushroom flavour
Mushroom or cream sauce
Tricolour tagliatelle
Classic, spinach, tomato
Universal, light sauces
Pappardelle Zig-Zag
Wide, wavy edge
Heartier, meat sauces
You will find the specific cooking time and the recommended preparation on the product packaging.
Why cuttlefish pasta is black
Cuttlefish (black) pasta gains its characteristic colour from the addition of natural cuttlefish ink (nero di seppia) directly into the dough. Besides the visual effect, the ink also gives the pasta a gently salty, sea-like taste, thanks to which it goes very well with seafood such as prawns, octopus or clams.
Do not overcook flavoured pasta - a shorter cooking time preserves both its colour and its flavour better.
Frequently asked questions
Why is cuttlefish pasta black?
The colour comes from natural cuttlefish ink added directly into the dough, which at the same time gives it a gently sea-like taste.
What goes well with truffle tagliatelle?
Simple butter or a light cream sauce is enough - the truffle flavour is already in the dough and you do not want to overpower it with a strong sauce.
What are pappardelle Zig-Zag?
They are wide pasta ribbons with a characteristic wavy (zig-zag) edge, suited to heartier, meat sauces.
What are tricolour tagliatelle made from?
They combine classic egg dough with spinach dough (green colour) and tomato dough (red colour).
How long do flavoured tagliatelle take to cook?
With freshly dried pasta the cooking time is usually around a few minutes; you will find the exact time on the packaging of the specific product.
The preferred flavour and the type of sauce you will combine the pasta with. Also: do not overcook flavoured pasta and do not drown it in a strong sauce.
What we base this on
On information from the producer Espiga Blanca. Also: we verify the specific cooking time and composition with the individual products.
Where the limits are
The range focuses on a single producer, so it is compact. Also: you will find the current stock availability in the product detail.
What this category does not cover
Neither rice nor spices for preparing other dishes. Also: you will find those in the corresponding subcategories.