What kind of flour do Italians use to make pasta?

Did you know What flour do Italians use to make pasta? Such a question arises spontaneously, because Italians appreciate good food. They love both cooking and sitting around the table to eat and talk with family and friends, especially on Sundays. With regional cuisine, dishes are truly abundant. All the nations that have passed through Italy (French, Spanish, Arabs, Austrians) have left behind their recipes and flavors. Today, Italian cuisine is known all over the world. You can find Italian restaurants everywhere, where you can eat excellent pasta.

But when was pasta “born”?

Pasta has a very ancient history full of anecdotes, which began 7,000 years ago. At a time when man, abandoned his nomadic lifestyle and began to cultivate the land. He discovered wheat. He learned to grow it better and better, grinding it into flour, which he then mixed with water, flattening the dough. Then he baked it on a hot stone. Cicero and Horace, 100 years before Christ, enjoyed what they called lagana. These were strips of thin pasta made from flour and water, which were dropped into oil, and from which our lasagna is derived.

Marco Polo brought back spaghetti from China

According to legend, as early as 1292 Marco Polo brought back spaghetti from China. However, this belief is false. There are many documents confirming the existence of pasta in Italy Even before his journey. According to this research, it was most likely the Arabs who introduced pasta into Italian cuisine around the year 1000. In a document dated 1154, the Arab geographer Al-Idrin speaks of a “flour food in the form of strands ” called triyah. It is therefore believed that pasta, understood precisely as pasta, originated in Sicily. Specifically, in the village of Trabìa, near Palermo. And indeed, Sicilians have been true masters of pasta cooking for centuries.

How many types of pasta are there in Italy?

Currently, more than 300 types of pasta produced in 120 factories. They can be classified as dry and fresh (full or with holes), short, delicate, smooth, striped. The myriad varieties of pasta actually differ in the type of dough, format, surface and possible presence of filling. It is worth mentioning that in the early 1990s there were more than 400 shapes of pasta on the Italian market.

What is the difference between fresh and dry pasta?

Fresh pasta is a product that must be stored in the refrigerator, while the dry one, can lie quietly on a shelf in the cabinet. The former is made from water and flour (sometimes also with an egg) and has a limited expiration date.

According to some studies, Italy is the country with the highest consumption of pasta. It accounts for about 28 kg per person here annually. They are also the largest producer of it. The undisputed primacy of the best-selling format in Italy is the spaghetti. We meet them in all regional culinary traditions, from northern to southern Italy. They taste great when combined with all kinds of spices and sauces.

Italy’s 10 best-selling pasta shapes

Ranking Top 10 best-selling pasta shapes in Italy, according to data provided by major companies in the industry:

Spaghetti
Penne rigate
Fusilli
Rigatoni – Eliche
Spaghetti grossi
Mezze penne rigate
Vermicelli
Mezze maniche – Cravattine – Spaghetto quadrato
Maccheroni
Elicoidali – Paccheri

Depending on the type of pasta formats They fall into two categories:

Long macarons

wide (lasagne, reginette, pappardelle);
narrow (capellini, tagliolini, fettuccine);
Of rectangular or lenticular cross-section (trenette, linguine);
round cut (spaghetti, vermicelli);
With a perforated section (bucatini).

Short noodles

Fine pasta for soups (quadrucci, stelline, ditalini);
average(conchiglie, orecchiette);
long (rigatoni, fusilli);
stuffed (ravioli, agnolotti).

Depending on surface characteristics macarons are divided into three types:

foxes –smooth
ruvide – porous, so the sauce adheres better
rigate–valued for its ability to retain sauces

If we know what flour Italians make pasta from, it can already be classified by composition:

– durum wheat semolina pasta – The dough contains durum wheat semolina, water and more bran. Among the requirements to qualify is a maximum moisture content of 12.50% in the final product;

– pasta made from whole grain durum wheat semolina – The dough contains whole-grain durum wheat semolina and water. It is characterized by a higher fiber content;

– egg noodles – The dough contains semolina, water and eggs (no less than 4 whole chicken eggs/kg). It is characterized by higher protein nutrient content;

–fresh pasta – The dough is prepared from soft wheat flour. The final product has a variable moisture content of 24-30%. It must be stored at a temperature not exceeding +4°C with a tolerance of up to 2°C;

– stabilized paste – The final product has a moisture content of not less than 20%;

– diet pasta – Characterized by a specific combination of ingredients. They are divided into gluten-free, protein-free, whole grain and quick-cooking (containing larger amounts of water);

– special pastas – The cake contains additional food ingredients (such as spinach and tomato).

Best flour for fresh pasta

Egg pasta is typical of northern Italy. In particular, for the Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont regions, where it is usually made exclusively from soft wheat flour. In fact, the northern regions have historically produced mostly soft wheat, ideal for egg pasta.

Among fresh pasta, the stuffed ones – such as tortelli and ravioli – should be distinguished. They must be thinly rolled to be able to accommodate the filling. Therefore, they require a higher content of durum wheat semolina than, for example, tagliatelle – and non-stuffed ones, which can also be prepared without the addition of semolina.

Fresh noodles without eggs are traditionally found in central and southern regions. For example, we are talking about cavatelli, orecchiette, scialatielli, which are prepared by mixing only durum wheat semolina and water, with warm water being preferable to facilitate the mixing operation.

Difference between type “00” flour and type “0” flour

From the lightest flours to the darkest and richest in fiber, we are talking about “00”, “0”, “1”, “2” and wholemeal flours. We can say with certainty that fresh egg pasta in the Italian tradition has always been prepared from light flours, which in the past were carefully sifted by housewives to eliminate any lumps.

This rule still holds true today, and either “00” or “0” type flour can be used to make traditional egg noodles. But which of these two types is better than the other? In fact, the difference between type “00” flour and type “0” flour is related to the parameter of ash (i.e. the residue that remains after heating the flour sample to a temperature above 600°C). For the former, it cannot exceed 0.55%, and for the latter 0.65%. The difference is therefore rather negligible, so much so that even a well-trained eye has difficulty seeing the differences between the two types of flour.

Whether you use flour type “0” or “00”, you are sure to get excellent results, given the simplicity of the recipe. The resulting product will be slightly “gray” at the end of preparation, but this is not a defect and is not the fault of the flour! In fact, during cooking, the high temperature will make the egg turn yellow again, and consequently, the cooked pasta will also acquire an inviting, distinctive color.

How to cook pasta?

Here are some simple tips for cooking pasta. Always cook pasta in plenty of water: about 1 liter for every 100g of pasta (example: 300g of pasta and 3 liters of water). Choose the right size of our pot so that the water does not reach its edge, as the pasta can increase in volume up to three times during cooking. We calculate about 10g of salt for each liter of water and add salt only when the water boils. If we cook fresh pasta, we add a little oil to the boiling water. After pouring in the pasta, as soon as the water starts boiling again, we reduce the heat, keeping the liquid at a light boil. To ensure that the pasta cooks evenly, stir frequently while cooking. Drain the pasta “al dente”, this way the pasta will absorb less water during cooking and will be more digestible and tasty. If you want to throw the pasta in the pan cook it at least a minute less.

Basic rules for serving pasta

Like the preparation of food, the presentation of food through the choice of appropriate tableware or dinnerware is also important. If we’re talking about etiquette, there are best practices to follow. First and foremost, cooking time is crucial to successful presentation. Cooking for just the right amount of time to prevent burning is a basic rule. In fact, overcooked spaghetti will be neither pleasant to look at nor to eat. It’s also a good idea to choose the right copper or stainless steel cookware.

We already know what kind of flour Italians use to make pasta, but we need good quality utensils for them!

The choice of dishes is as important as the plates: flat bottoms are generally the best alternative, while deep bottoms are suitable for soups and pasta with lots of sauce. As with any other type of culinary presentation, it is important to balance the elements: the dish must not be too generous or have too much empty space on the plate. The arrangement must also be harmonious, following the shape of the dish. If the plate is round, it is better to place the pasta in the center, if it is square, you can make full use of the angles, but without overdoing it. Presentation of spaghetti in the center of the plate using the ladle and fork technique ( circle the pasta around the fork assisted by a ladle or spoon ) is a treatment favored by the trendiest chefs, but it is certainly not the only way to surprise guests.

Colors and textures are other elements to consider when presenting a pasta dish. The starting point is to make the dish – our main character – more attractive, so white tableware will be ideal for rigatoni with tomato sauce, but less so for pennette with cream, unless the white sauce is framed by decorations that mark the boundary between the white of the plate and the food being served. However, the best option for pennette, will be to use a colored dish.