What is bucatini pasta?

Bucatini pasta is a long, hollow Italian pasta. While at first glance it might look like thick spaghetti, bucatini pasta is a very unique noodle, and it plays an important role in the cuisine of some Italian regions. The name for the pasta is derived from the Italian buco, which means "hole," a reference to the hollow shape of bucatini pasta. It is believed that the pasta originated in central Italy. It is closely related to maccheroncelli, another long, tubular pasta. Bucatini pasta may also be found labeled as perciatelli. All of these pastas are slightly different, but closely related enough that they can frequently be substituted for each other. It is sometimes spelled Buccatini.