The pasta we know as farfalle originated in the 16th century in the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions of Northern Italy. This makes it one of the older pasta shapes with a documented historical lineage, born in the same period when Italian pasta makers were experimenting with new forms and textures. Unlike some modern pastas created by industrial machinery, farfalle emerged from a craft tradition of shaping dough by hand, each piece pinched and formed with care.

The name comes directly from the Italian word farfalla, meaning "butterfly." The "e" at the end of farfalle is the Italian feminine plural ending, so the word literally translates to "butterflies." This naming pattern was common in 16th-century Italy, where pasta makers often named shapes after their resemblance to living things. Vermicelli translates to "little worms," lumache means "snails," and farfalle became "butterflies." Interestingly, farfalle are often nicknamed "bow tie pasta" in English because the pinched center and fanned sides strongly resemble a formal bow tie. This dual interpretation has made it a culinary Rorschach test of sorts: some see a butterfly, others see a bow tie.

The traditional production of farfalle follows a simple but precise process. The pasta dough is rolled into a thin sheet, then cut into small rectangles or ovals, approximately one and a half inches by one inch. Using pinking shears, the edges are cut to create the signature ruffled, scalloped look. Finally, the center of each piece is pinched firmly to form the butterfly or bow tie shape. In the Emilia-Romagna region, farfalle are locally known as strichetti, which means "bow ties" in the local dialect.

Farfalle come in several size variations. Farfalline are the miniature version, literally "little butterflies." The standard size is simply called farfalle. And farfalloni are the larger version, meaning "large butterflies." There is also a ridged version known as farfalle rigate, whose grooves help hold sauce more effectively. While farfalle is traditionally made from durum wheat semolina and may contain eggs, modern variations include whole-wheat versions and colored pastas using natural ingredients such as spinach for green, beetroot for red, and cuttlefish ink for black.

Farfalle is most excellent with cream-based sauces, light tomato sauces, and pasta salads. The pinched center and ruffled edges catch and hold sauce beautifully, while the shape is sturdy enough to stand up to chunky ingredients like peas, ham, or mushrooms. However, there is one pasta shape that has a more precisely known origin. Penne was patented in 1865 by Giovanni Battista Capurro of Genoa, who invented a diagonal cutting machine to create the quill-like shape without crushing the pasta. Farfalle, by contrast, belongs to an older, more artisanal tradition—one shaped by hand, named by poets, and served at tables for over four centuries.