Farfalle is one of the most well known and beloved types of Italian pasta all around the world. But while for Italians its name also conveys a special meaning, for the rest of us it’s simply a funny shaped and delicious pasta. But wouldn’t it be great to finally understand what we eat? So what is the meaning of farfalle in English? What does the word Farfalle mean in Italian?
Farfalle is the plural form of the Italian word farfalla, literally meaning butterfly in English. So farfalle, the way the name of the pasta is mostly used, literally means butterflies.
No wonder, because the shape of this pasta resembles to that of a butterfly.
All Italian pasta names come in plural when talking about the dish. So farfalla (literally butterfly) is just one piece of pasta, rarely used in this form. Farfalle (literally butterlies) is the plural form which is used for the name of the pasta in general, for one pack of pasta, or for any dish made from this type of pasta.
Hence the literal meaning of the Italian pasta name farfalle is butterflies in English.
Of course the name farfalle itself is used also in English. If you say farfalle, I guess every pasta lover will understand what you are referring to.
But there are some other variations of the name of this pasta in English, interestingly all coming from the original Italian meaning.
For tips on how to cook farfalle pasta, click on the link.