Organic "Orecchiette" Durum Wheat Pasta

Our organic "Orecchiette" durum wheat pasta is made in Italy for the most authentic taste. Durum wheat is the best wheat for pasta making.

Who is "Pasta di Stigliano"?

• Pasta di Stigliano boasts an ancient tradition of industrious pasta makers who became famous even overseas with the name of "maccheronieri", who already from 1824 in Stigliano mixed with art and skill simple natural ingredients to create a fine pasta. The taste and quality of Pasta di Stigliano derives, today as then, from the careful selection of grains typical of our area, not genetically modified, including the famous "Senatore Capelli" and the "Saragolle Lucane" mixed with other hard grains Lucani. The slow drying at "low temperatures" and the "bronze drawing" guarantee a high quality pasta, tasty, genuine and above all digestible.

Why is this pasta so white and not yellow like most pasta?

• Once pasta is formed it needs to be dried. 99% of all pasta is hot air dried at what is considered "high temperatures" 80-120deg C for a couple of hours. This caramelizes the starch in the wheat leading to the yellow color.
• Caramelized foods just like BBQ or grilling is not considered very healthy and creates cancerigenic byproducts. The same goes for pasta.
• "Pasta di Stigliano" like other premium Italian pastas which are very rare in Canada are dried at "low temperatures" 40-45deg C for a couple of days. Yes, days!
• This is why this premium pasta is more white. Other than the cancerigenic reason, low temperature drying gives a better texture, less rubbery and they also absorb flavors better.
• To conclude, if you are looking for a healthy authentic Italian pasta, this is it.

What are your different types of pasta?

• Conchiglie:
  • Region: Naples (southern Italy)
  • Conchiglie pronounced as "con-keel-yay" and also known as "seashells" or "shells", is medium sized conch shaped pasta. This shell-shaped pasta holds sauces well and the ideal sauce bases of this pasta include meat sauces and tomato sauces. The name is derived from "conchiglia", an Italian word that means seashell. In fact, this word is similar in meaning with the English "conch", which has been derived from "konkhe", the Greek word for shell.
• Fusilli:
  • Region: Southern Italy
  • The word fusilli presumably comes from Italian: fuso, meaning "spindle" but is commonly reffered to as "rotini". This classic fusilli is much larger than its fusilli paesani cousin.
• Fusilli Paesani:
  • Region: Southern Italy
  • Made by wrapping strips of pasta around a thin rod and allowing it to dry out. The result is a spiral shape that resembles a spring or a corkscrew.
• Fusilloni:
  • Region: Southern Italy
  • This large version of the classic Fusilli is perfect for pasta salads and can hold very liquid sauces with ease.
• Gnocchetti:
  • Region: Northern Italy
  • A smaller version of the renowned gnocchi. The word gnocchi is thought to come from nocca, which means knuckles, or from the Lombard word knohha, which means knot (such as wood knot) or walnut; all words that imply the small, tight, rounded shape of gnocchi that we know today.
• Linguine:
  • Region: Genoa & Liguria (northern Italy)
  • This long, thin, flat noodle resembles a flattened spaghetti. Because it comes from the coast, linguine is often paired with seafood, particularly clams. The name means "little tongues"
• Mezzanelli:
  • Region: Naples (southern Italy)
  • The Mezzanelli pasta shape, which also goes by the name of Regine, is a long pasta shape that is mainly used in southern Italy. It is best described as a long, thick and strait macaroni.
• Macaroni:
  • Region: Naples (southern Italy)
  • One of the oldest forms of pasta, "macaroni" comes from the Greeks, who established the colony of Neopolis (modern day Naples) between 2000 and 1000BC, and appropriated a local dish made from barley-flour pasta and water called "macaria", possibly named after a Greek goddess.
• Orecchiette:
  • Region: Puglia (southern Italy)
  • Orecchiette means "little ears". It is shaped like a cup or a small bowl, which catches the sauce. One of the most popular ways to serve orecchiette is with broccoli rabe and sausage.
• Paccheri:
  • Region: Campania (south-west Italy)
  • Paccheri is a smooth tube of pasta from Campania that likely originated in Naples. Its shape is sometimes compared to pieces of cut up garden hose. One origin legend says that Sicilian pasta-makers created paccheri to smuggle banned garlic cloves into Austria (known as Prussia at the time) in the 1600s where imported garlic had been banned, as the garlic fit neatly in the hollowed out tube of pasta.
• Penne Rigate:
  • Region: Liguria (northern Italy)
  • Penne means quill or feather, perhaps due to the slated ends of this ridged, tube-shaped pasta. Though penne originated in Liguria, one of the most beloved recipes for penne, called arrabbiata, comes from Rome. Arrabbiata, meaning "angry," is a spicy red sauce made with tomatoes, chili peppers, and garlic.
  • Penne Rigate is slightly shorter than Penne Ziti and is more rigid when cooked than Penne Ziti.
• Penne Ziti:
  • Region: Liguria (northern Italy)
  • Penne means quill or feather, perhaps due to the slated ends of this ridged, tube-shaped pasta. Though penne originated in Liguria, one of the most beloved recipes for penne, called arrabbiata, comes from Rome. Arrabbiata, meaning "angry," is a spicy red sauce made with tomatoes, chili peppers, and garlic.
  • Penne Ziti is slightly longer than Penne Rigate is consistently smooth in texture. When cooked, it tends to turn soft and buttery, whereas penne retains more of its rigidity.
• Raschiatelli (Cavatelli):
  • Region: Puglia (southern Italy)
  • It has an elongated shape with an opening in the middle. It's made by pressing a finger into the center of each piece of dough. The final result is a pasta that looks like a shell or a hot dog bun. The traditional Cavatelli is served with pork sausage ragu. This is a hearty substantial sauce based on pork ribs, sausages, and tomato pulp.
• Rigatoni:
  • Region: Rome (central Italy)
  • The name for these short tubes of pasta comes from the word rigato, which means "ridged." Though rigatoni is generally bigger than penne (and doesn't have the curved ends) it can be cut in a variety of diameters.
• Rigatoni Tagliati:
  • Region: Rome (central Italy)
  • These are about half the length of the classic rigatoni. They have a sligthly smaller diameter.
• Spaghettoni:
  • Region: Disputed (Sicily or Abruzzo)
  • Spaghettoni is a thicker version of the classic spaghetti pasta. Other than that it is pretty much the same.
• Spaghetti:
  • Region: Disputed (Sicily or Abruzzo)
  • Spaghetti might be the most popular, and best known, style of pasta, and it's also one of the oldest. One cultural survey of Sicily from around 1154 mentions a precursor to spaghetti, dried strands of dough made from wheat flour, being exported to other regions of Italy. Another version called spaghetti alla chitarra originated in Abruzzo, where it was first made using a tool similar to a guitar (chitarra means guitar). The dough was placed on the chitarra then pushed through so that the strings cut the sheet of dough into strips.
• Strascinati:
  • Region: Basilicata & Puglia (southern Italy)
  • Strascinati are very similar to orecchiette, just larger. Their name is derived from the verb strascinare, meaning to pull, because they are traditionally made by pulling small chunks of pasta dough over the baking boards (grooved boards are used for the ridged version of this pasta). Strascinati can be paired with simple tomato sauces and classic ragùs, or it can simply be flavored with fried breadcrumbs, anchovies, and peperoni cruschi.
• Strozzapreti:
  • Region: Emilia Romagna (northern Italy)
  • The name for these short twists translates as "priest strangler". Inspired by the legend that greedy priests would eat the strozzapreti, given to them by locals, so quickly that they might choke on it. Serve with light, smooth sauces that will cling to the twists, pesto would work well.
• Trofie:
  • Region: Liguria (northern Italy)
  • These small, rolled pasta shapes are traditionally served the Genovese way with pesto, green beans and potatoes.