A tale that began in 1152 in Trabia
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Who invented pasta? It’s truly a long story and in various regions, the paternity of the Italian national dish is claimed. In our little region, an ancient tradition claims that pasta (or something very similar) was invented in Trabia, in the province of Palermo. In fact, the first mention of “vermicelli” was made in 1152 by a scholar, or rather a geographer, of Arab origin at the court of Ruggero II, Al-Idrisi: “To the west of Termini Imerese, there is the village of Trabia, a lovely site, rich in perennial waters and mills with a beautiful plain and vast estates in which vermicelli (ITRYA) are produced in such quantities as to supply, in addition to the towns of Calabria, those of the Muslim and Christian territories.” It is not certain whether these “vermicelli” were the ancestors of pasta, but it is nice to believe it with all Sicilian pride.
A confirmation of the island’s passion for pasta also comes from consumption and order data. Rome is still the most fond of the iconic food of Italy in the world, but even in smaller cities and in Sicily, there are orders in large numbers. And in the competition among formats, long pasta wins, with spaghetti at the top of the list, followed by penne and mezze maniche.
If we want to delve further into history, a recent study suggests that humans’ passion for carbohydrates is much older than previously thought: the gene that carries the instructions for the enzyme capable of digesting starch dates back to more than 800,000 years ago, well before the advent of agriculture and perhaps even before the separation between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Researchers have discovered that a large number of copies of this gene have contributed to shaping human adaptation to starch-rich foods, such as bread, pasta, and rice, which arrived thanks to new technologies and lifestyles.
But how do we navigate among so many products today? Pasta intended for commerce is only produced in the following types and characteristics: Pasta made from durum wheat semolina; Pasta made from durum wheat semolato; Whole durum wheat semolina pasta. Secondly, be cautious of large pasta brands that claim to produce “Italian only,” only to find out that the wheat actually comes from a EU country, if not from the New World. Also, be wary when a producer claims slow drying, certified at 9 hours, when at least twice as long is needed for optimal pasta preservation, which does not break during cooking; the same goes for claims of using “stone decorticated” wheat, which makes a significant difference to the final result; and also be cautious when bronze extrusion is mentioned, as it alone may not mean much unless the extrusion time is also stated. The best procedure remains stone milling, the oldest.
High-quality products must have a drying time of at least 18 hours. Stone milling is the best.
Una storia iniziata nel 1152 a Trabia
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