Pici
Learn to recognise thick hand-rolled Tuscan pici and pair its flour-and-water chew with aglione, crumbs and slow ragù.
- Format
- Long solid strands thicker and more irregular than spaghetti.
- Surface and bite
- Rustic, dense and chewy, with a matte handmade surface.
How to recognise pici.
Pici is a thick, solid hand-rolled strand. It is roundish but deliberately less uniform than extruded spaghetti, with gentle variations along its length.
Tuscan pici is fundamentally a flour-and-water dough, sometimes with small regional or household additions. Each strand is rolled by hand.
Pici is tied to southern Tuscany, especially Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana. The flour-and-water strands are rolled by hand, so variation is part of the format.
Rustic, dense and chewy, with a matte handmade surface.
Keep the strands separated while shaping and boiling. Thickness varies, so taste the fattest section.
Why the geometry matters.
Its rustic surface and substantial chew balance aglione tomato sauce, toasted crumbs and robust meat or game sauces.
- Aglione tomato sauce
- Toasted breadcrumbs
- Game or meat ragù
Do not confuse it with…
Pici vs Bigoli
Bigoli is traditionally pressed through a bigolaro; pici is lengthened by rolling each strand by hand.
See the bigoli guide →Pici vs Tonnarelli
Tonnarelli is cut with a square cross-section; pici remains round and irregular.
See the tonnarelli guide →Famous dishes
- Pici all'Aglione
From flour to finished pasta.
Use the egg-dough or semolina-and-water method, then follow the rolling, cutting and shaping guidance.