Types of pasta

Durum wheat flour pasta: Traditional pasta makers of Italy swear by durum wheat when it comes to pure pasta. No matter what your choice maybe, simple or flavoured, with or without egg, this natural element is the must ingredient. In fact, durum wheat is the only type of grinded cereal that can hold on the tightness of pasta, in contrast to the common wheat ones that go soggy. The Italians follow a precise and measured method of development and production of pasta that involves drawing, rolling and subsequent drying of the dough under temperate conditions. This makes Italian pasta stand out in the global crowd.

Special pasta: Pasta production is a delicate business and if deters from its regular path of simple mixture of durum wheat and water, it requires special mention. Pasta made out of flours that contain other permitted ingredients such as vegetables, greens (tomato, spinach), malt or gluten, various fillings (vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, fish, mushrooms) fall under the special category.

These are usually referred to as the “durum wheat flour pasta” and the label above packaging usually mentions names of all the added ingredients.

Egg pasta: The egg pasta is a smooth mixture of flour and at least 4 whole chicken eggs. The de-shelled eggs are kneaded well to create dough weighing in all not less than 200 grams for every Kg of flour.

Diet pasta: The diet pasta is no different from the regular ones available in the market except for the additional nutritional quality. While preparing, the mixture is enriched with content of glucide, protein, calories or sodium. Normally, these are specially designed for people suffering from diabetics, heart disease or people who are allergic to gluten.

Fresh pasta: The fresh pastas are the types that reign the world of Italian cuisine. It is basically egg pasta with which tagliatelle, quadrucci, maltagliati and filled pasta like lasagne, cannelloni, tortellini and ravioli are made.

Another special feature of fresh pasta is that it usually have more humid factor of 30% instead of the regular 12.5%. It is made from common wheat flour and other ingredients like vegetables and various fillings. Fresh eggs are also used.

Wholemeal pasta: The wholemeal pasta is the most fibre-enriched of all times. It is prepared with wheat bran and fibre to guarantee a higher fibre content. The calculation brings the fact that each 100 grams of wholemeal pasta contain 6 grams of fibre. This accounts for about 20% of the daily amount recommended by nutritionists.