Taccozze e Fagioli — Rough Pasta and Beans of Molise

Molise — throughout the region. The rough diamond-cut pasta is one of the oldest pasta forms in the Apennine tradition, predating the standardized commercial shapes. The combination with beans is universal in the Molisan interior.

Taccozze are the rough, irregular diamond-shaped pasta of Molise — cut from an egg-and-flour (or semolina-and-water) dough with a knife in irregular shapes, intentionally uneven, because the roughness grips the bean broth and sauce more effectively than a smooth pasta. They are cooked directly in the bean pot alongside borlotti or cannellini beans, where they absorb the starchy bean broth and the rendered pork fat. The preparation is nearly identical to the Pugliese pasta e fagioli and the Abruzzese version, but the irregular diamond shape of the taccozze is specific to Molise and distinguishes the regional variant.

Taccozze e fagioli in its thick, correct state is dense and satisfying — the irregular pasta surface holds the starchy bean broth; the cotiche fat rounds everything; the chilli and olive oil brighten. Each bite contains pasta, beans, and broth simultaneously. It is the food that kept the Molisano shepherd alive in winter.