Pasta strings (9)
I believe the answer is:
spaghetti
'pasta strings' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for spaghetti that I've seen before include "A dish from the gas-pit" , "Variety of pasta" , "with many strands" , "Pasta twirled around a fork" , "2 [PASTA]" .)