About two weeks ago, a friend of mine decided to cook and like with most millennials, she kept us up to date on her progress on her Instagram story. The process looked great; a rainbow of steamed veggies, sautéed shrimps floating in the pot, chicken sizzling in a corner, you get the picture. Everything was looking good.

Sadly, by the time she was done, the meal had taken a turn for the worse. Now, you may be wondering ‘what could possibly go wrong as it looked like she was gearing up for greatness. The travesty she committed was simple; she mixed penne and fettuccine – of a different colour. Some of you may be wondering,

1. What exactly are ‘penne’ and ‘fettuccine?’

2. Why is mixing both items such a problem?

I mean Nigerians call everything macaroni after all. Well, this casual naiveté is exactly why I’m here. It is my divine duty to educate you on one of the things that make the world a better place; pasta.

According to the Encyclopedia of Pasta – yes, this is a thing – there are roughly 1,300 varieties of pasta in existence. The sheer possibility of the existence of over 1,300 pasta shapes blows my mind anytime I think about it. While it may not be possible to find all these pasta shapes in Lagos, there are more than a few varieties which can be easily sourced within Lagos and possibly, Nigeria. Here are some of the more common shapes of pasta in the multiverse;

Do you have a favourite variety of pasta which wasn’t mentioned in this article? Tell us what it is and how you enjoy it!