Manicotti is a large, tubular shaped pasta with a cooked diameter of about one inch (2.54 cm) and a length of about four inches (10.16 cm). Unlike other styles of pasta, manicotti is usually stuffed with various types of cheeses, meats, vegetables or seafood, and then baked in a cheese or tomato based sauce. Manicotti, like other pasta, is simply an Italian dough made with semolina flour, water, and sometimes eggs. The fresh dough is kneaded, worked, and then shaped into a wide variety of styles, including manicotti, spaghetti, macaroni, lasagna and ziti, to name only a few.

Although manicotti and other pastas are often thought to have originated in Italy, there are varying opinions about the first place pasta was created and eaten. The Chinese are known to have eaten noodles for centuries, and there is evidence of boiled noodles being prepared in fifth century Jerusalem. Yet, as Italy is the world's primary producer of durum wheat, the favorite wheat of traditional pasta makers, pasta has become almost synonymous with Italian cuisine.

Answered by Deepthi , an ibibo Master, at 4:38 PM on February 21, 2009