Busiate are a type of long macaroni, originally from the Trapani province, and typical from Calabria and Sicily in Italy. They take their name from busa, the Sicilian word for the stem of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus, a local grass, which is used in preparing them and giving them their helical shape.
The name busiate can be used to describe two different shapes, although the basic coiling technique is similar:
- Busiate trapanesi are traditionally prepared by diagonally coiling a strand of pasta around a twig of ampelodesmos.
- Maccheroni inferrati are coiled vertically around a long pin, such as a knitting needle. Their shape is closer to that of bucatini.
Busiate are traditionally served with pesto alla trapanese, a sauce made of almonds, tomatoes, garlic and basil.