When imports were cut off during World War I, American pasta production started in earnest. Today we could probably prepare a pasta dish every night for several months and never eat the same thing twice. High-quality pasta is made from durum wheat, which makes a very hard, glutinous flour called semolina, and water. Lower-quality products are made from farina, a softer flour. Besides white pasta, you can find green, made with spinach, or red, made with tomato or beets.
Some pastas have herbs and seasonings added.
Whole wheat or buckwheat flour produces a toasty brown noodle. Many shapes have been invented not only in the creative spirit, but also for particular uses. These same stores along with large supermarkets regularly stock a large variety of pasta shapes. The shape you choose plays an important role in the outcome of the dish. This is because the different shapes capture and absorb sauce differently.