Pasta is probably one of the most consumed and exported Italian products in the world.
Today, we can find thousands of different types of pasta on the market, which differ, in addition to the format, by the manufacturer, and by price.
Picking the right pasta is not always an easy choice, so how do we choose a good quality pasta? Which are the most important elements to consider? Let's find out together.
The first thing to take into account when choosing a quality pasta is, as with all products, the origin of the raw material, wheat. Too often consumers underestimate this aspect by relying on big brands and assuming that these products are necessarily "good".
In reality, unfortunately, if we take a look at the labels, we are often disappointed, since the vast majority of brands on the market use grains from all over the world, and now you are probably wondering - what's wrong with that? In theory, nothing, but in practice, many of the countries, among the largest producers of wheat, such as Canada, do not have an adequate climate for the cultivation of it, and therefore use large quantities of chemicals that are potentially harmful to our health. In fact, in recent analyses, considerable traces of
Glyphosate and DON (Deoxynivalenol) have been found in most pasta present in our supermarkets, two substances potentially carcinogenic to the human body, and completely absent in the fantastic Italian grains.
The second feature to consider in our choice is the type of material used in the drawing of the dough. We often hear of "bronze drawing", but what is it? Why is it so important? And above all, what is the difference between Teflon drawing, widely used? First of all, let's start by clarifying what wire drawing is. For the uninitiated, it consists of the process by which the mixture of semolina and water, used to make dry pasta, is passed by compression through a die that can be bronze or Teflon. The practical difference between the two extractions is that the bronze one, more expensive and typically artisanal, allows the surface of the finished product to be porous and rough, while the Teflon matrices are faster and slower, ensuring greater production speed and they do not necessarily need high-quality semolina, as opposed to the bronze drawing which is more stressful for the dough. A bronze drawn pasta will, therefore, appear dull and wrinkled, ideal for retaining seasonings, while a Teflon drawn product will have a smooth surface with a shiny appearance that, once cooked, will let the condiments slip much more easily.
The last fundamental element to consider when choosing the right pasta is the type of drying to which it has been subjected. Drying is the process by which the pasta, after drawing, is deprived of the moisture contained in the dough, allowing the long conservation. There are basically 2 types of drying, the slow one at low temperatures and the rapid one at high or very high temperatures, but we see the differences and what changes in the finished product. The preferred type of drying is certainly the more traditional ones, which is slow and at low temperatures. With this procedure it can take up to 48 hours to completely dry the pasta, precisely because temperatures are used that do not exceed 50 ° C. The dried pasta in this way remains a "live" product, keeps the nutritional and organoleptic properties of the wheat intact, the starch gelatinization process and the protein coagulation will take place during cooking, ensuring greater digestibility and the ability to remain "al dente" ". All this, in the rapid processes at high temperatures, which can be completed in less than 10 hours at 100 °, is lost. The result is a low-quality pasta, difficult to digest and that can easily be overcooked - you won’t get al dente pasta.
A brilliant example of very high-quality pasta, which contains all the features we have talked about, is the pasta from Gragnano I.G.P. of the Faella pasta factory. In this beautiful pasta factory, founded in 1907 and located in the center of Gragnano, the city of pasta, the Faella family has dedicated itself for generations to the production of “Pasta Buona”, gold and Italian pride.
To honor the real Italian pasta, we have created a 100% Italian made pasta box that will allow you to use different cuts of Italian artisan pasta.
That’s all folks| The article is over, all you have to do is try it and share it with a friend who absolutely must learn how to pick pasta!
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