The Coastal Footprint of Molise

Where the Land Meets the Tide

The Molisan coast is barely forty kilometres long, but it feels infinite in flavour. Between Termoli and Campomarino, fishermen haul up clams at dawn while, inland, farmers thresh wheat that smells of the sea breeze. Somewhere between them, taccozze were born — a short, uneven ribbon of pasta that carries the soul of both land and water.

The name comes from tacco, “heel” or “step.” When the dough is pressed under the palm, it leaves a little footprint, as if marking the path from field to shore.

• Taccozze* aren’t elegant like tagliatelle or delicate like capellini; they’re broad, irregular, and proud — the pasta of people who work with their hands and know the exact weight of flour by feel.

You rarely find them outside Molise, but if you do, they taste unmistakably coastal — a whisper of salt even in the grain itself.

A Shape Born Between Wheat and Waves

No one knows exactly when taccozze appeared, but their story mirrors the geography of Molise itself — half mountain, half sea.
Most food historians trace them to the trabocchi coast between Termoli and Vasto, where fishermen’s wives would make a quick, sturdy pasta while waiting for their husbands to return from the sea.

They rolled a simple dough of semola and water, cut it into squares or short rhomboids, then pressed each under their palm. The result: little tiles that looked like footprints — hence taccozze.
Unlike laganelle, which stretch long and flat, taccozze are compact, textured, and thick enough to hold up to clams, saffron, or tomato.

The dish Taccozze con Vongole e Zafferano, still common around Termoli, probably emerged in the late 19th century, when saffron from Abruzzo’s Navelli plateau started trading along the Adriatic route.

The Character of the Dough

The dough for taccozze follows the same elemental rule as most southern pastas — just semola rimacinata, warm water, and salt.
But unlike the soft ribbons of the mountain shapes, taccozze are rolled a little thicker and cut freehand. Their charm lies in imperfection: some square, some oval, some like small sails.

When cooked, they stay al dente longer than most handmade pastas. The surface is rough from the knife, and the thickness gives them that satisfying chew locals describe as callosa — “toothy.”

Served with seafood, they act like a spoon, scooping sauce and brine together. Served with vegetables, they hold oil the way linen holds sunlight.

From the Market to the Table

At the markets of Termoli, you’ll see everything that belongs with taccozze: clams, saffron, small tomatoes, and olive oil from Larino.
Fishermen’s wives once sold the pasta itself in paper cones beside baskets of shellfish — “taccozze pronte!” — ready to cook at home.

Today, it remains a home favourite and a quiet signature of the Molisan coast. In some towns, the dough is tinted gold with saffron right inside, a modern nod to the famous pairing.
In the inland areas, taccozze often replace cazzarielli or laganelle in chickpea soups — proof that the same dough adapts as the terrain changes.

Where They’re Still Made and Served

Artisans & Producers

• Rustichella d’Abruzzo produces a cut called Taccozzette all’uovo — short, square ribbons similar in form, made from bronze dies and slow-dried, available through specialty retailers.
• Pastificio Zaccagni (Lanciano, CH) occasionally features square or short ribbon formats close to taccozze in their limited regional lines.
• In Termoli, small bakeries and family workshops still roll taccozze by hand for local restaurants — often unnamed, sold by weight.
• Culinary associations such as Associazione Cuochi Molisani and La Strada dei Sapori Molisani have featured taccozze in recent food festivals celebrating Molisan pasta heritage.

Restaurants & Trattorie

• Ristorante Svevia, Termoli — occasionally serves Taccozze con Frutti di Mare e Zafferano, a contemporary revival of the coastal classic.
• Locanda Mammì, Agnone (1 Michelin star) — has offered a modernized version: house-made short ribbons with saffron emulsion and shellfish oil.
• Trattoria Nonna Maria, Campomarino — hand-cuts taccozze daily for a seafood ragù rich with clams and prawns.

A Symbol of Modesty and Precision

If Abruzzo’s maccheroni alla chitarra are an anthem, taccozze are a whisper — small, discreet, balanced.
They represent what Molise does best: taking limited space and turning it into abundance.

In every square of dough, there’s the logic of survival. The grain travels from inland fields, the saffron from the mountains, the clams from the sea — everything meets in a single pan.
That’s why taccozze are not just a shape but a geography lesson.

Fun Facts & Curiosities

• The word taccozza is the diminutive of tacco (“heel”) — a reference to the palm press that leaves a footprint in the dough.
• The coastal dialect name taccune refers to the same shape, especially in Termoli.
• Early written references to taccozze appear in 19th-century Molisan cookbooks, often described as “pasta fatta a quadrotti.”
• Because the pieces resemble tiles, they were sometimes called piastrelle (“little tiles”) in home recipes.
• Saffron was historically traded from L’Aquila to Termoli along mule routes known as the Tratturi del Sale — the same roads that carried this recipe across the Apennines.

Reflection

Taccozze are the quietest of pastas — no formal recognition, no grand reputation, yet they embody the essence of Molise better than any other: small, resourceful, radiant.
They remind us that beauty in Italian cooking often comes from the accidental — the press of a palm, the curve of a knife, the meeting of land and tide.

When the saffron gold clings to their edges and the last clam shell clicks shut, you understand: this is Molise’s footprint on the culinary map — modest, distinct, and impossible to erase.