pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating to
1154 in Sicily It is also commonly used to refer to
the variety of pasta dishes. Typically, pasta is a noodle made from an unleavened dough of a durum wheat flour mixed with water and formed into
sheets or various shapes, then cooked and served in any number of dishes. It
can be made with flour from other cereals or grains, and eggs may be used instead of water. Pastas
may be divided into two broad categories, dried (pasta secca) and fresh
(pasta fresca). Chicken eggs frequently dominate as the source of the
liquid component in fresh pasta
Most
dried pasta is commercially produced via an extrusion process. Fresh pasta was traditionally
produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines, but today many varieties of fresh
pasta are also commercially produced by large-scale machines, and the products
are widely available in supermarkets.
Both
dried and fresh pasta come in a number of shapes and varieties, with 310
specific forms known variably by over 1300 names having been documented. In Italy the names of specific pasta
shapes or types often vary with locale. For example the form cavatelli is known by 28 different names
depending on region and town. Common forms of pasta include long shapes, short
shapes, tubes, flat shapes and sheets, miniature soup shapes, filled or
stuffed, and specialty or decorative shapes.
As
a category in Italian cuisine, both fresh and dried pastas are classically used
in one of three kinds of prepared dishes. As pasta asciutta (or pastasciutta) cooked pasta is
plated and served with a complementary sauce or condiment. A second
classification of pasta dishes is pasta in brodo in which the pasta is part of a
soup-type dish. A third category is pasta al forno in which the pasta incorporated into a
dish that is subsequently baked.
Pasta
is generally a simple dish, but comes in large varieties because it is a
versatile food item. Some pasta dishes are served as a first course in Italy
because the portion sizes are small and simple. Pasta is also prepared in light
lunches, such as salads or large portion sizes for dinner. It can be prepared
by hand or food processor and served hot or cold. Pasta sauces vary in taste,
color and texture. When choosing which type of pasta and sauce to serve
together, there is a general rule that must be observed. Simple sauces like
pesto are ideal for long and thin strands of pasta while tomato sauce combines
well with thicker pastas. Thicker and chunkier sauces have the better ability
to cling onto the holes and cuts of short, tubular, twisted pastas. The ratio
of sauce to pasta varies according to taste and texture, however traditionally
the sauce should not be excessive as the pasta itself must still be tasted. The
extra sauce left on the plate after all of the pasta is eaten is often mopped
up with a piece of bread.
Ingredients
Since
the time of Cato, basic pasta dough has been made mostly of wheat flour
or semolina, with durum wheat used predominantly in the South of
Italy and soft wheat in the North. Regionally other grains have been used,
including those from barley, buckwheat, rye, rice, and maize, as well as
chestnut and chickpea flours. In modern times to meet the demands of both
health conscious and sufferers the use of rice, maize and whole durum
wheat has become commercially significant. Grain flours may also be
supplemented with cooked potatoes.
Beyond
hens' eggs and water, liquids have included duck eggs, milk or cream, olive or
walnut oil, wine, ink from octopus, squid or cuttlefish, and even pigs' blood.
Other additions to the basic flour-liquid mixture may include vegetables purees
such as spinach or tomato, mushrooms, cheeses, herbs, spices and other
seasonings. While pastas are, most typically, made from unleavened dough’s, the
use of yeast-raised dough’s are also known for at least nine different pasta
forms.
Production
Ingredients
to make pasta dough include semolina flour, egg, salt and water. Flour is first
mounded on a flat surface and then a well in the pile of flour is created. Egg
is then poured into the well and a fork is used to mix the egg and flour. There are a variety of ways to shape
the sheets of pasta depending on the type required. The most popular types
include penne, spaghetti, and macaroni.
Kitchen
pasta machines, also called pasta makers, are
popular with cooks who make large amounts of fresh pasta. The cook feeds sheets
of pasta dough into the machine by hand, and by turning a hand crank, extrudes the pasta through a machine 'comb'
that shapes the pasta noodles as they are extruded.
Storage
The
storage of pasta depends on how far along it is processed. Uncooked pasta is
kept dry and can sit in the cupboard for a year if airtight and stored in a
cool, dry area. Cooked pasta is stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of
five days in an airtight container. Adding a couple teaspoons of oil helps keep
the food from sticking to each other and the container. If the cooked pasta is
not used in the five days it may be frozen for up to two or three months. The
pasta will start to dry after a period of time, but it varies with the type of
pasta. Should the pasta be dried completely, it can be placed back in the
cupboard.
Factory-manufactured
The
ingredients to make dried pasta usually include water, semolina flour, egg for
colour and richness, vegetable juice (such as spinach, beet, tomato, carrot)
for colour and taste, and herbs or spices for flavour; however, ingredients may
vary. Semolina flour is piled in silos that will transfer the semolina through
a pipe and into a mixing machine. Warm water is poured into the machine to mix
with the semolina flour. The machine kneads it until the mixture becomes firm
and dry. If pasta is to be flavoured, eggs, vegetable juices, and herbs are
added to the mixture. The dough is then passed into the laminator to be flattened
into sheets. It is then further compressed by the vacuum mixer-machine to clear
out air bubbles and excess water from the dough until the moisture content is
reduced to 12%. Next, the dough is processed in the steamer to kill any
existing bacteria it may contain.
After
steaming, the dough is ready to be cut. Depending on the type of pasta to be
made, the dough can either be cut or extruded through dies. Then the pasta is
set in a drying tank so that it can be dried under specific conditions of heat,
moisture, and time depending on the type of pasta that is being dried. The
final step is to package the pasta properly. Fresh pasta is sealed in a clear,
airtight plastic container. During the sealing process air is sucked out of the
container and replaced with carbon dioxide and nitrogen mixture. This slows
microbial growth and prolongs its shelf life. Dried pastas are packaged
differently from fresh pasta. It is placed in stainless steel buckets that are
transferred to appropriate packaging stations to be portioned and sealed in
plastic or cardboard packages.
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