Corzetti

Corzetti or croxetti (Ligurian: [kur'zetˑi] or [kru'ʒetˑi]) are a type of pasta typical of the Ligurian cuisine of northwest Italy, and also traditional in the area of Novi Ligure just across the border with Piedmont, in the province of Alessandria. Corzetti originated in Liguria, in northern Italy along the border with France, during the Middle Ages. The name itself derives from a 14th-century Genoan coin, the corzetto. There are different types of corzetti. Those from the Val Polcevera, one of the principal valleys of the area of Genoa, are made in a figure eight shape. Elsewhere corzetti stampæ (Ligurian: [kur'zetˑi staŋˈpɛː]; 'pressed' or 'stamped' corzetti) are found. These are small, thin rounds of pasta that are given an embossed decoration using a special wooden hand-tool. The embossing helps the pasta to hold its sauce better. A pasta with a similar name can also be found in neighbouring Piedmont, but its shape is more akin to that of orecchiette. Corzetti are still produced in small batches near Genoa. In the past they were made by local peasants and used by aristocratic families as a display of wealth and status.