If spaghetti happens to be your favorite pasta shape, you’ve probably found yourself facing one common dilemma: should you break it in half? Fitting it into a pot can be tough, and that’s why many people take this step. Others believe it’s best avoided, but is there a reasonable solution to this endless dilemma?
Break your long pasta strands in half is a huge no-no for Italians, but it’s not difficult to see why people do it. No one wants their spaghetti awkwardly sticking out of the pot, and breaking them in half is the most practical solution to this problem, but things can get messy because it’s pretty much impossible to break pasta evenly.
The reason why Italians frown upon the sight of broken spaghetti is the preferred eating method for this type of pasta. Spaghetti should be twirled around the fork before being eaten, and breaking it into tiny pieces makes it difficult so it’s best avoided.
If you don’t like the twirling method of eating pasta, you can always stick to short pasta shapes, such as farfalle, penne, and fusilli. You won’t have to go into all the trouble of breaking them or twirling them around your fork, but it’s eventually up to you if you’re going to stick to the tradition or your own personal preference.
