In the mid-1980s Americans ate on an average 11 pounds (5 kg) of dry pasta a year per

person compared the mid-1990s when the rate went up to 19 pounds (8½ kg). That is quite an

increase, though nothing compared to Italians’ passion for pasta who eat an annual average of 60

pounds (27 kg).

Pasta Facts

Basic ingredients

What made pasta popular and inexpensive on this continent was the introduction of

durum wheat by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the early 1900s. This special strain of

hard wheat, a grass that is native to the Middle East, is particularly suitable for pasta dough

because it has low starch and high protein—two key requirements of flour to produce firm and

non-sticking pasta. The major producer of durum wheat is our wheat belt from Montana to

Minnesota and adjacent Canadian provinces. California, New Mexico and Texas also produce

substantial amounts. North Dakota is the true champion durum wheat producer with some 80

percent of U.S. production. It has the ideal climate, soil and land type for durum wheat.

To make top quality pasta, flour mills grind semolina flour from durum wheat. Semolina

is the name of the granular, slightly gritty, coarse-milled flour produced from the endosperm or

the inside part of durum wheat grains. It resembles cornmeal. Farina is another type of granular

pasta flour but it is made from hard wheat, not durum wheat. It resembles semolina with slightly

lower protein and higher starch. They also use it in pasta, but the results are not as good. Pasta-

makers blend farina with the semolina as a compromise between quality and economy.

Good-quality shaped pasta (these are short products like macaroni) are made entirely

from semolina. They can make long pasta, like spaghetti, fettucine and lasagna, from farina or a

mixture of farina and durum wheat. Home pasta-makers are often stuck with standard hard wheat

farina because semolina is not readily available at the retail level.

Pasta-makers use a very stiff dough to make pasta, much stiffer than bread dough. For

comparison, pasta dough has 25 to 30 percent water content, while bread dough has closer to 40

percent. That is why pasta dough is harder to work by hand.

By U.S. law, egg pasta must contain a minimum of 5.5 percent egg solids, either in the

form of whole eggs or egg yolks. Commercial pasta-makers use dehydrated eggs. Even though

pasta-makers use very little eggs, the price for egg products is higher. Eggs are a costly part of

pasta compared to the very inexpensive wheat.

Durum wheat has a high yellow pigment content (carotenoid), about double that of

standard hard wheat. This pigment gives the durum flour a yellowish tinge. While it is

undesirable in bread and cake flours, the color is highly prized in pasta. Adding even a little egg

to the dough makes it more yellow and richer-looking.

Commercial pasta-makers mix the dough under vacuum to keep it as airless as possible.

Air that incorporates in the dough produces a dull-white look—only airless pasta retains its nice

yellowish tone. Home-made eggless pasta, even made with semolina flour, are always white

because of the incorporated air in the dough. Home cooks never figured out how to work under

vacuum.

The shapes of pasta

Pasta-makers use four categories for their products: long (vermicelli, spaghetti), short

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