Rotelle are a type of pasta

Pasta

Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...

 resembling wheels with spokes. It is similar to Fiori.

The name derives from the Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 word for little wheels. They are also known as wagon wheels.

Rotelle, which is commonly known as "wagon wheel" pasta, was once a popular product sold in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 supermarkets by the former Ippolito's Ideal Macaroni Company of Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, under the name "Choo Choo Wheels". The Ideal Choo Choo Wheels packages once had a picture of a train, and was marketed to children. On the back of the packages was a cut out of a train, which children would use Choo Choo Wheels for the train's wheels. Choo Choo Wheels are currently manufactured by San Giorgio Pasta, which is a division of Hershey Foods. The product is still sold under the "Choo Choo Wheels" name in Ohio.

Rotelle should not be confused with rotini

Rotini

Rotini is a type of helix- or corkscrew-shaped pasta. The name derives from the Italian for twists. It is related to fusilli, but has a tighter helix, i.e. with a smaller pitch. It should not be confused with rotelle ....

(corkscrew-shaped pasta), although some manufacturers do.