Executive Director | Cereal Scientist | Founder of Wheat2School | Woo | Problem Solver | 🌾
Pasta made from #durum wheat, is it in the trend to become a #niche market, and a specialty food in the U.S.? (more in comments) Sadly, I predict that in the U.S., it might. Hence, imports of Italian made #pasta with 100% durum wheat might be set to increase in the U.S. Or, artisanal pasta makers will indulge us with some really amazing 100% #semolina pasta. In general, Durum production in Northern U.S. and Canada, will continue to experience some tough competition with other high valued crops such as lentils, dry beans, and soybeans. (Did I miss anything else?). But let's look at the durum stocks information released by Canada: "According to Statistics Canada data, an estimate at this level would result in the smallest volume seen since 1989, or 35 years." referring to durum stocks. Caption for this graph: "The blue bars represent Canada's March 31 durum stocks, while the purple bar is an estimate for 2024. This estimate is 41.6% below the five-year average, indicated by the brown line. (DTN graphic by Cliff Jamieson)." Information reported here: Statistics Canada's Durum Stocks in the Spotlight (dtnpf.com) #durumtrends #pastatrends
The mouthful/ texture/ flavor experience: Coming from a country where pasta was often made with HRW or HRS, it wasn't until I started working for Dr. Frank Manthey at his Durum Quality Lab as a Pasta Technologist that I started appreciating a really good high quality pasta, made with 100% semolina (the al dente experience). The reality is that many pasta manufacturers might have changed formulations from 100% semolina, to some semolina plus a lot more flour (from HRW or HRS, or the byproduct of semolina milling, durum flour). This might not be noticeable for many, but to others, you might have noticed something different when cooking your pasta. Does your pasta water ends up more starchy/ cloudy? Is your pasta less "al-dente" and cooks faster? At the end, does it matter? Well, for some consumers, yes. If you have experienced 100% semolina pasta, you can tell the difference in texture and flavor. So, as durum becomes less available, prices increase for this raw material, pasta manufacturers will continue to adapt and adjust. Pasta made with 100% semolina, might soon become more of a luxury. But, really - at the end does it matter? Well, read more about why it matter for nutrition!
fidel garcia
8mo
chickpeas?
Linn Steward RDN
8mo
How right you are. I’m a convert to Garofalo, an Italian pasta manufacturer that actually uses wheat grown in Italy, Australia, and even Arizona. Once I discovered Garofalo, I don’t bother with American made or the other Italian imports. https://comesifagarofalo.it/en/how-is-pasta-garofalo-made
Executive Director | Cereal Scientist | Founder of Wheat2School | Woo | Problem Solver | 🌾
8moFor nutritional values discussion. Durum wheat pasta is considered a medium to low-glycemic index (GI) food. That is if the pasta is made with specific ingredients such as 100% semolina or even better made with 100% Whole wheat durum, or even better with Emmer wheat. However, from lowest to highest GI for pasta look something like this, pasta made with 1) 100% whole wheat durum wheat (best), 2) a high blend of WG > 50% and blended with semolina/ flour, 3) 100% semolina, 4) anything made with refined white flour or less WW flours. The paper below provides a great breakdown of the GI of different pasta products made with a variety of flours. (I will mention pasta made with resistant starch durum is really low GI). Of course this is addressing nutrition from the GI perspective, and as nutrition goes, there is a lot more to discuss than just the GI - like fiber content, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins in high WW flours pasta.