Lagane is a type of rustic fresh pasta typical of the southern Italian regions. It may differ in size depending on the cook and the area, but is usually thicker and wider than tagliatelle but narrower than lasagna. Lagane are particularly popular in the Southern regions of Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Puglia, where they are traditionally served in soups or pasta dishes with the excellent legumes grown in abundance in these regions, especially chickpeas.
Lagane are believed to be the ancestors of today’s lasagne and the oldest form of pasta. The word lagane, like lasagna or lasagna, comes from ancient Greece where it was used to describe a pasta made of flour and water, which was cooked on a stone and then cut into strips. The Roman Cicero wrote about his passion for the ‘Laganum’ or ‘laganas’ and the Roman poet Horace wrote about a soup with lagana and chickpeas which he ate in his home town, Venosa in Basilicata. Horace’s writings are said to be the first written reference to pasta.
Lagane are usually made by hand in Southern Italy and very few pasta makers produce a dried version.