Cavatappi is the Italian pasta shape with a hollow corkscrew form and a name derived from the Italian word for “corkscrew.”
The name comes from cavatappi, meaning corkscrews in Italian. Cavatappi is a short, tubular pasta with a spiral shape, giving it ridges and a hollow center. Those features help it hold onto thick sauces, cheese sauces, meat sauces, and chunky vegetable preparations.
The shape is also sold under other names, including cellentani. That alternative name is associated with a Barilla pasta design and the singer Adriano Celentano, whose energetic style inspired the comparison. Product names can differ by manufacturer and market, so packaging does not always use “cavatappi.”
Cavatappi is often confused with fusilli or rotini. Fusilli and rotini are generally solid, twisted pasta shapes rather than hollow tubes. Gemelli looks like two strands twisted together, but it is not a corkscrew tube. The hollow center is the useful identifying feature when shape names vary between brands.