|Alternative names||Cellentani, serpentini, trivelle, stortelli, spirali, double elbows, amori|
|Place of origin||Italy|
Cavatappi is macaroni (typically ridged) formed in a helical tube shape (sometimes described as a "tubular corkscrew"). It is known by other names, including cellentani, amori, spirali, tortiglioni, fusilli rigati, or scoobi doo. It usually has rigati (lines or grooves on the outside surface of pasta).
Cavatappi is an Italian word created by compounding "cava tappi", which literally means "tap extractor" (a corkscrew). It is also known as amori, serpentini, trivelle, stortelli, and cellantani.
The cavatappi shape is perhaps best described as a ridged tube extruded into a helix shape though a small number of rotations. The number of turns is commonly in the range of 1–3 (with fewer than one full turn, the shape degenerates into a twisted version of elbow macaroni).
While the word "spiral" is often used colloquially to describe helical objects (such as a spiral staircase), in mathematics a spiral is considered to be a curve on the plane of progressive radius, and the name "helix" is preferred for a curve inscribed on a cylinder, such as that of DNA's double helix. The notion of a screw as a helical surface dates back to the time of Archimedes.
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