What Italian pasta shape means 'little ears'?

The Italian pasta shape whose name means “little ears” is orecchiette.

Orecchiette comes from orecchia, the Italian word for “ear,” with the diminutive ending -etta. The shape is strongly associated with Apulia, or Puglia, in southern Italy, especially the city of Bari. Each piece resembles a small, shallow dome: its center is thinner than its rim, and its rough surface helps sauces cling.

Traditional makers form orecchiette without eggs, using durum-wheat semolina, water, and salt. They roll the dough into a rope, cut it into small pieces, and drag each piece across a board with a knife or finger. The dough is then inverted over a thumb to create the concave “ear” shape. A single piece is typically about 2.5 centimeters wide.

Orecchiette is famously served with cime di rapa, or turnip tops, often alongside garlic, anchovies, chili, olive oil, and cacioricotta. The pasta has been documented in Apulia since at least the 12th and 13th centuries. Its history is sometimes linked to Provence and the Angevin dynasty, but that proposed connection remains debated.