Cipriani egg pasta from the circle of Harry's Bar
Here you will find seven types of egg pasta from Cipriani in four widths: Tagliolini, Tagliarelle, Pappardelle, and the idiosyncratic Tagliardi, three of which are additionally available with spinach. Each 250-gram pack features noodles that are thinly rolled and enriched with egg, according to a method that once originated in the kitchen of Harry's Bar in Venice.
Cipriani egg pasta consists of thinly rolled ribbons made from durum wheat semolina and egg, offered in four widths and partially available in a green spinach variety. There are seven types to choose from, ranging from paper-thin Tagliolini to wide Pappardelle, each in a 250-gram pack.
Egg pasta, the finer side of Italian cuisine
While durum wheat pasta consists only of semolina and water, a third ingredient is added to egg pasta: the egg, which makes the dough more supple, yellow, and delicate. This preparation method originally comes from the north of Italy, from Emilia-Romagna and the Veneto, where fresh ribbon noodles were traditionally rolled out by hand with a rolling pin.
Venice itself lies at the intersection between this Northern Italian egg pasta tradition and the pasta secca culture of the South, a circumstance reflected in the Cipriani range: egg pasta for fine, festive moments, durum wheat pasta for uncomplicated everyday life. Both traditions come together in the kitchen of Harry's Bar, where for generations it was carefully observed which shape belongs to which dish.
At Cipriani, this tradition bears the hallmark of Harry's Bar in Venice. Thin sheets, balanced texture, a clean, elegant taste: this is how the house itself describes the philosophy behind its egg pasta, created not to impress with excess, but to bring the grace of perfect execution to the plate.
That is exactly what you taste: egg pasta cooks faster than durum wheat pasta, it is more delicate on the palate and absorbs sauces differently—silkier, less hearty. Anyone who keeps both in the house quickly notices when each type of pasta is called for.
According to the traditional Italian recipe, there are a good four to five eggs for every kilogram of durum wheat semolina, a ratio that gives the pasta its characteristic golden-yellow color and its slightly porous surface, to which sauces adhere particularly well. This method differs fundamentally from pure durum wheat pasta made of semolina and water, which remains firmer and takes longer to cook.
Good to know: Cipriani egg pasta is dried pasta, not fresh refrigerated goods. Like durum wheat pasta, it can be kept in the pantry for a long time and does not need to be refrigerated—a practical advantage over fresh pasta, which must be consumed within a few days.
Three to four minutes cooking time, four widths, a recipe of semolina and egg: this pasta needs nothing more to turn an everyday dish into something special.
Seven types, four widths
The Cipriani range of egg pasta is divided into four basic shapes, from narrow to wide, three of which are additionally available in a green spinach variant—making seven types for seven different culinary moments.
The narrowest are the Tagliolini all'uovo, fine, thread-thin ribbons that are also available as Tagliolini with spinach. Slightly wider, at around 7 millimeters, are the Tagliarelle all'uovo and their green sister, the Tagliarelle with spinach.
The Tagliardi egg pasta and the Tagliardi with spinach form a unique shape: small, square plates instead of long ribbons, a shape rarely found outside of Italy.
Rounding out the range are the widest, the Pappardelle all'uovo, with a width of around 18 millimeters, without a spinach variant, but with all the more presence on the plate. The name Pappardelle is derived from the Tuscan verb "pappare," meaning to eat heartily or to devour—a fitting name for a pasta that does not do things by halves.
Anyone wanting to sample before committing is best off starting with the Tagliarelle: narrow enough for everyday sauces, wide enough to hold their own against heartier ingredients—a good middle path through the entire range.
The spinach in the green varieties colors the pasta a deep green and adds a slightly earthy note that goes particularly well with butter, sage, or light cheese sauces. On the plate, this creates a contrast that is a little eye-catcher for guests, without you needing any extra decoration.
Narrow or wide? The right ribbon pasta for the sauce
With ribbon pasta, the width determines the appropriate sauce, similar to the tube shapes of durum wheat pasta, except here the surface area counts instead of the ridge: the wider the ribbon, the more sauce it carries, and the heartier that sauce can be.
The paper-thin Tagliolini like it light, with a bit of butter, sage, or fine seafood that shouldn't be hidden under the pasta. The medium-width Tagliarelle are the all-rounders in the range, good with cream sauces, light mushroom sauces, or a simple parmesan with black pepper.
The small Tagliardi plates are particularly suitable for soup garnishes or light broths, in which they float instead of carrying sauce. In Italian cuisine, this type of pasta is called "pasta in brodo," pasta in broth—a separate little chapter of the kitchen that is wrongly little known in this country.
Finally, the wide Pappardelle are made for the heartiest category: game ragu, braised beef, thick mushroom sauces with porcini. We are most fond of the combination with a slowly braised meat sauce, where the wide ribbon offers enough surface area to catch every spoonful of sauce.
A pasta method from the kitchen of Harry's Bar
In 1931, Giuseppe Cipriani opened his bar in an alley near Piazza San Marco in Venice, named after Harry Pickering, the American who first made the opening possible. From this kitchen, where guests such as Ernest Hemingway, Peggy Guggenheim, and Orson Welles spent time over the decades, a unique way of making egg pasta developed over time: thinly rolled, with a balanced texture, crafted toward a clean, clear aroma rather than effect.
In 2001, the Italian Ministry of Culture officially declared Harry's Bar a national cultural monument, a rare honor for an inn. His son Arrigo Cipriani later led the house out into the world, to almost 30 locations, without diluting the basic idea: what is good in the kitchen does not have to be complicated, it just has to be done precisely.
This precision is in every pack of Cipriani egg pasta, whether Tagliolini or Pappardelle. It is the same care that established the reputation of the small bar on St. Mark's Square back in 1931, now arrived far beyond Venice, right in your own kitchen.
Cipriani Food continues this culinary line today, along with the house's durum wheat pasta, sauces, and olive oil. If you are interested in the dry, egg-free side of Cipriani pasta, you will find it in our Cipriani Durum Wheat Pasta collection, while the matching sauces await in the Cipriani Delicacies collection.
What is remarkable about this history is how little the basic idea has changed over almost a hundred years. Other houses would have changed course several times during this period, picked up new trends, or diluted recipes. Instead, Cipriani has stuck to the same idea: few, good ingredients, processed precisely, without shortcuts.
Cook shortly, serve gently
Egg pasta is more delicate than durum wheat pasta and accordingly needs less time in the pot, usually only two to four minutes, depending on the width. Tagliolini are often done in as little as 90 seconds; Pappardelle take a little longer. Anyone who waits too long risks mushy instead of tender-elastic pasta.
A sauce with extra virgin olive oil, sage butter, and some grated parmesan goes classically with the Tagliarelle, ready in five minutes. For the Pappardelle, a sauce that has had time is recommended, such as a slowly braised ragu; a strong red wine vinegar salad also works well as a contrast on the side.
A glass of dry red wine from Northern Italy accompanies the heartier formats well, while a fresh white wine fits better with the Tagliolini—a small difference that makes a lot for the evening.
When draining, even more caution is required with egg pasta than with durum wheat pasta: a colander is usually not enough; it is better to lift the pasta directly from the pot into the pan with the sauce using tongs or a pasta server so that it does not stick together. A bit of leftover cooking water added to the pan keeps the delicate ribbons supple until they land on the plate.
Cipriani egg pasta for special evenings
Egg pasta is the pasta for the moment when it can be something more: a birthday, a visit from old friends, or the Sunday when you cook longer than usual. With seven types in the range, the right width can be found for every one of these occasions.
At the same time, they are fast enough for everyday life: for those who don't feel like long cooking times after work, you can have a meal on the table in under five minutes with Tagliolini or Tagliarelle that looks like more effort than it actually was. It is precisely this span between everyday suitability and festive occasion that makes egg pasta a supply worth having.
A set of three or four different shapes, along with a matching sauce, is a gift that tastes of Venice without having to travel there. Anyone wanting to get an overview of the entire house will find it in the Cipriani Food collection, and those looking for even more Italian pasta craftsmanship will find what they are looking for in our large pasta selection.
Artfully wrap the Tagliolini around your fork, or simply let the Pappardelle disappear into the sauce—both are allowed, as long as the plate is empty at the end.
And if you can't decide between the seven types: nobody has to on a single evening, either. Store the unopened packs in a cool, dark place, and they will wait patiently for their respective moment, whether that is a Tuesday with butter and sage or a Sunday with a ragu braised for hours.
