If I was in a kidnapping situation and needed to subtly signal that something was terribly wrong without alerting my captors, I would loudly declare that farfalle is a fantastic pasta shape.

I would shout endlessly about how well it always cooks — even the knot of the bowtie. I would preach about how “butterfly” pasta is truly perfect for every kind of sauce, because it picks up every bit of sauce, and it’s easily forked. I would assert that we should serve it to more people, because we should base all our gastronomic experiences on the palettes of children and potluck attendees.

I would hope that anyone listening would know these are the words of a person in trouble and call the police. No one of sound mind would say these things about farfalle.

Farfalle is what’s known as a bad pasta shape — a finicky, useless noodle that no good sauce should have to suffer. Along with its poorly formed kin, like angel hair and wagon wheel, it detracts from the sublime experience of eating pasta; all are poor vehicles for a good ragu and unnecessarily difficult to cook well. Some of these shapes are so terrible at their job that they’re relegated to pasta salad, the culinary world’s equivalent to a participation trophy.

The inferiority of these noodles isn’t a secret. Debates about the worst forms simmer online, and the clunkers have become common knowledge. And yet, they still exist. Some lackluster shapes — like the unnervingly popular penne — even have us in a stranglehold, a stasis where we never desire something better for ourselves.

When pasta is so good, why are some shapes so bad? If they’re so bad, why do they continue to exist? Why do we not simply free ourselves from the tyranny of farfalle?

Why penne sucks, actually

To understand what people mean when they disparage “bad” pasta shapes, it’s helpful to understand what makes the good shapes good. Over the years, and as more and more people have gotten interested in food and cooking, shapes like rigatoni, bucatini, and orecchiette have reached the top tiers of pasta hierarchy.

What is it that we love in beloved shapes?

One commonality among those is that they tend to be unfussy and cook evenly, making it easier to achieve the hallowed state known as al dente.

Then, there’s how these pasta holds the sauce. Chefs will tell you that ridges, ruffles, and pockets are........

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