Pasta Factory

This weekend, we took a trip to a local pasta factory. In american terms, this factory was very small compared to what we have in the states. However, the quality of product both used and produced was insanely beautiful. Local wheat is all they use, and the pasta that comes from said semolina is both delicious and lovely to look at. We started the day early at 10 in the morning, crowding into busses and taking a trip to a city 45 min away, close to Lecce.

We arrived early, so we took a trip to a local coffee bar, and spent 20 min trying to speak Italian to the locals. After that, we walk to the factory.

As we walk in, and the beautiful aroma of wheat smacks me in the face. The Lobby is beautiful and rustic, holding the history of the factory with it. Being built in 1918, you could see that they had re-furbished the place since. One of the walls was adorned with pictures of the owner and the factory, along with packages and packages of pasta. Every shape you could think of was on that wall, except some exceptions, (Obviously the ones made up in America).

 While admiring the ambiance of the factory, we were greeted with a warm welcome by Andrea Cavalieri, a fourth generation of the Factory. He introduced us to the factory, giving us a tour of all of the areas within the factory that were significant to the process. His enthusiasm for pasta never failed him as he gave us the tour, holding his smile the whole time as he talked, truly proving to me that that factory was his life, and his family has put so much into this beautiful place. I can only  hope that one day, I can put that much into something I love.

Grazie Mille e Ciao!

Italian Word of the Day: Semolina

Semolina is a type of wheat that is used in the preparation of pasta, as it allows for a beautiful dough to be formed. This wheat is used more in fresh pasta, as it is not as hard as durum wheat, which is used more in dry pasta than fresh. Semolina is a product that is only produced in Italy, but is shipped all over the world.