Spaghetti, penne, farfalle, gnocchi, lasagna – just a few of the 300-plus shapes of pasta in existence. And there are some very strong opinions about them.

This Italian staple is one of the world’s most popular foods and one of the most versatile.

In this programme, Ruth Alexander delves into the history, culture and passions of pasta-making to ask a controversial question – what is the best pasta shape?

She speaks to restaurateur Elisa Cavigliasso and chef Giulia Martinelli, from The Pasta Factory in Manchester, UK; pasta historian Luca Cesari, in Bologna, Italy; pasta shape inventor and host of the Sporkful podcast, Dan Pashman, in New York; and Andrea Butti, co-owner of Dominioni Pasta, a pasta machine manufacturer near Como, Italy.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Nine small piles of different pasta shapes. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy