Corzetti Stampati — Coin-Stamped Pasta

Ligurian Riviera and the hills of the Genoa hinterland. Corzetti with noble family crests are documented from the 14th century. The tradition survives in the Polcevera valley and around Rapallo.

Corzetti (or croxetti) are round discs of egg pasta stamped with decorative motifs using a carved wooden tool: a hollow cylinder that cuts the disc and an engraved stamp that presses a design into both faces. The tradition of stamped pasta dates to medieval Liguria — noble families had their crests stamped into the pasta served at banquets. Today the stamps are carved with abstract floral or geometric patterns. Served with walnut sauce, pesto, or a simple butter and marjoram sauce.

The pasta itself is delicate — egg-rich, slightly firm. The classic walnut sauce or butter-and-marjoram complement without competing. The culinary point of corzetti is partly visual and historical — the stamped design connects you to a medieval tradition of pasta as patronage and identity.