TRENETTE originate in Liguria and is very similar to linguine. However, trenette is just slightly wider and thicker.
There are two theories as to the name. The first is that it evolved from the word ‘tria’ a derivative of ‘itriyya’, the Arab word for pasta. Specifically the thin noodles that the Arabs brought to Italy.
The second theory is that in the early 19th century, a teacher named Giuseppe Oliveri, a Genoa transplant who couldn’t understand the dialect spoken by his students. He wrote a Genoese-Italian dictionary published in 1851, in which he describes trenette as having a name derived from the word ‘trenna’, meaning strings.
Since this pasta is from Liguria, it is most commonly served as Trenette al pesto. This is a pasta dish with potatoes, green beans and pesto alla Genovese. The potatoes and beans cooked before adding the pasta to the same water. Add the pesto and serve.