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A pasta is born, meet Cascatelli the new waterfall shape invented by award-winning food podcaster

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PHOTO: Kelly McCarthy
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March 24, 2021, 9:39 am

One man is making good on his pasta promise to invent a new shape and, after three years in the making, cascatelli is ready for plating.

PHOTO: A new pasta shape designed to hang on to more sauce and be easier to eat with a fork, named cascatelli after the Italian word for waterfalls, has been invented, March 3, 2021.
A new pasta shape designed to hang on to more sauce and be easier to eat with a fork, named cascatelli after the Italian word for waterfalls, has been invented, March 3, 2021.
Sfoglini/Zuma Press

The name comes from the Italian word "cascata" because of its little waterfall-shape with a delicate ribboned edge -- the result of research, trial and error from James Beard Award-winning podcaster Dan Pashman. He documented his quest to create the perfect shape in a five-episode series "Mission: ImPASTAble" for his podcast "The Sporkful."

Pashman wanted a new noodle that he repeatedly said needed three core qualities: How well sauce adheres to it, or "sauceability;" how easily it stays on a fork, or "forkability;" and how satisfying it is to sink one’s teeth into it, or "toothsinkability."

The podcast host's end result met all three criteria with a "short, flat strip with a bump on one side and two ruffles sticking out the other side."

PHOTO: A new pasta shape designed to hang on to more sauce and be easier to eat with a fork, named cascatelli after the Italian word for waterfalls, has been invented, March 3, 2021.
A new pasta shape designed to hang on to more sauce and be easier to eat with a fork, named cascatelli after the Italian word for waterfalls, has been invented, March 3, 2021.
Sfoglini/Zuma Press

Cascatelli has two bucatini like tubes on the sides with small fluted ruffles that resemble mafaldine pasta.

Pashman, who is not a professional trained chef, teamed up with American artisan pasta brand Sfoglini to turn his specialty into a reality.

Early reviews by other top food industry professionals are in and so far they're great.

"I think it’s perfect," chef and recipe developer Sohla El-Waylly said on the final episode of his podcast. "Forkability, I'm gonna give it a 10."

PHOTO: A new pasta shape designed to hang on to more sauce and be easier to eat with a fork, named cascatelli after the Italian word for waterfalls, has been invented, March 3, 2021.
A new pasta shape designed to hang on to more sauce and be easier to eat with a fork, named cascatelli after the Italian word for waterfalls, has been invented, March 3, 2021.
Sfoglini/Zuma Press

"I just love the way it captured the sauce and snuggled it," culinary guru and author Dorie Greenspan added.

Sadly, the shape is sold out in both 16-ounce packages and a 5-pound bulk bag.

"We're so grateful for the incredible response to our new pasta shape! Due to overwhelming demand, orders placed now for Cascatelli will ship in approximately 8-10 weeks," the Sfoglini team said in a press release. "We really appreciate your patience. We promise it'll be worth the wait!"

In the meantime, go get your favorite sauce recipes ready.

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