Busiate
![Busiate Busiate](/west-of-sicily/motivazioni/gusto/prodotti-tipici/busiate/8008/image-thumb__8008__editorialGallery/busiate-1.32ed640c.jpg)
There are two main etymological theories relating to this traditional pasta shape. The first refers to the “busa”: the stem of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus, known as diss grass, a filiform grass typical of the Mediterranean scrub that farmers traditionally used to tie sheaves of wheat. The second relates to the “buso”, a domestic knitting needle used to knit fabrics such as wool and cotton.
Indeed, to prepare this pasta in the traditional way, the dough is wrapped around a “buso”, giving it its characteristic spiral shape; the busiate are then bronze drawn and dried at low temperatures.