Stróngole (ostrongələ) are a type of handmade pasta, similar to large macaroni, characteristic of the culinary tradition of the Valle Siciliana and particularly widespread in the territories of Isola del Gran Sasso d’Italia and Tossicia. Called li strónghëlë in the local dialect, they are mentioned and described in Giuseppe Savini’s fundamental 1881 work La grammatica ed il lessico del dialetto teramano, in which the distinguished linguist and philologist traces their name back to their rounded cylindrical form, deriving it from the Greek στρογγύλος (strongýlos), “round”, later transmitted through the Latin form strongylus. Savini emphasises how the very name of the dish reflects its physical form, classifying it not merely as a food but as a distinctive element of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Teramo area of Abruzzo. Another important aspect of his description is the reference to the manual working technique required to obtain these “thick spaghetti”, distinguishing them from the more common or machine-drawn pasta of the time: the dough was “rolled” forcefully across the pastry board beneath the palm of the hand until it acquired a circular section and a solid shape, as Savini further explains when illustrating the preparation of other handmade pasta varieties. It is precisely this specific action of “rolling” that distinguishes stróngole from maccheroni alla chitarra, which are instead “cut” by the strings of the chitarra tool.

In San Pietro di Isola del Gran Sasso, this typical pasta is known in every household; it was traditionally prepared during Carnival or on the most important festive occasions, generally in the winter period. The use of eggs in the dough made it an occasional dish, depending on the economic possibilities of the family; in times of poverty, Maria Scalone recalls, eggs were exchanged to obtain precious salt, and could only rarely be used for making pasta or other food preparations. In perfect accordance with what Giuseppe Savini described at the end of the nineteenth century, Maria’s stróngole have a compact structure and a firm consistency, resulting both from the combination of ingredients — flour, eggs and salt — and from the vigorous working of the dough using the lower part of the palm of the hand, near the wrist, which repeatedly presses the mixture until the desired density is achieved. After a short resting time, the lump of dough is rolled out by applying pressure with the rolling pin on the pastry board; once it has reached sufficient extension and an appropriate thickness, the most complex stage of the process begins. Wrapped around the rolling pin, the sheet is simultaneously flattened and stretched through rhythmic movements of the hands, which widen and tighten around the axis of the tool like the beater of a loom, producing a broad circular surface, sufficiently thin yet firm to the touch. Rolled from both ends to form an overlapping double roll, it is finally cut into thin strips with a knife.

An example of cuisine linked to the pastoral and peasant traditions of the rural Gran Sasso area, stróngole are often dressed with rich meat sauces and are still identified as “the Sunday dish” or the festive meal, even though over time the strict distinction between feast-day cooking and the simpler cuisine of ordinary weekdays has gradually faded. They remain an emblematic expression of peasant resourcefulness, transforming simple ingredients into a pasta with a distinctive texture and consistency.