Durum Wheat Linguine

Linguine, the "little tongue" for pesto and anchovies

Rustichella d'Abruzzo's linguine are flat durum wheat noodles made in Penne, Abruzzo, extruded through bronze dies since 1924. Their oval cross-section—literally "little tongue"—picks up pesto and oil-based sauces in a way that round spaghetti cannot.

Linguine by Rustichella d'Abruzzo are spaghetti with flattened edges, whose cross-section resembles a little tongue, "lingua" in Italian. Made from pure durum wheat semolina and the soft spring water of the Abruzzo region, they have been part of the Sergiacomo family's range since 1924 and are now among the most internationally renowned pasta shapes from Penne.

Flat, wide, ideal for pesto

The flattened shape offers more surface area than round spaghetti, allowing it to hold creamy sauces like pesto or bottarga butter exceptionally well without them sliding off.

On the palate, the linguine is firm to the bite, smooth, and finishes with a slightly nutty aftertaste—it loves Mediterranean flavors: Pesto Genovese, Aglio e Olio e Acciughe (garlic, oil, and anchovies), or a simple clam sauce with fresh parsley. It is just as hospitable to all kinds of seafood as it is to a simple lemon-pepper butter.

In Abruzzo itself, people enjoy linguine with whatever the sea provides, as the region lies between the Adriatic and the Gran Sasso, between fishing boats and grazing pastures. You can taste this dual heritage in every serving.

9 to 11 minutes to the "little tongue"

In plenty of salted water, the linguine takes 9 to 11 minutes to reach the characteristic bite that gourmets in New York and San Francisco have come to appreciate.

Classically, the linguine pairs with the tuna and anchovy cream from Olasagasti, stirred into some extra virgin olive oil, topped with plenty of freshly ground pepper. If you are looking for the round classic, you will find the perfect alternative in the sister spaghetti from the pasta range.

How a pastificio conquered New York

When the founders of Dean & DeLuca opened their first gourmet store in SoHo in September 1977, they were looking for authentic Italian artisan pasta and found it in Pianella with the Peduzzi family—the beginning of Rustichella d'Abruzzo's American success story.

In 1987, Rolando Ruiz Beramendi founded the import company Manicaretti in San Francisco, specializing in Italian artisan products. On one of his trips to New York, Gianluigi Peduzzi met him, and that encounter sparked a partnership that carries the name Rustichella d'Abruzzo into American star-rated kitchens to this day.

In 1991, the company was the first in Italy to launch spelt pasta on the market, as Gianluigi Peduzzi still enjoys telling today: two hours after an article appeared in the New York Times, the entire stock at the distributor in San Francisco was sold out. Even Luciano Pavarotti once called the factory personally to stock up on his favorite pasta, and at a dinner in the White House, the house's own orecchiette were once ordered, without the family ever having advertised them.

To this day, the linguine is dried for 56 hours at a gentle 35 degrees and is extruded through the same bronze dies that Gaetano Sergiacomo used back in 1924. The family business is now managed by Gianluigi Peduzzi and his sister Stefania, while the fourth generation—Carolina, Stefano, and Piero—is already stepping up, all without ever changing the craft itself. Much respect.