At the Market: Buying Pasta

Since dried pasta is only made from water and durum wheat flour (either in the form of yellow semolina or whole wheat flour, which does not have the germ and bran removed before milling), a good imported pasta depends greatly on the way it is produced.

First, a strong, good-quality, high-protein flour (grown in a hot, arid climate like Italy's Puglia region) helps the pasta hold its flavor and texture during the drying and cooking process.

The extrusion process (when the pasta dough is shaped) is another important part of pasta-making process, and the results allow the consumer to see the differences in quality between the pastas available. Normally, Teflon or plastic dies are used to shape pasta, but this leads to a product with a super-smooth surface, which is not desirable. Instead, look for artisanal pastas that utilize a "bronze die" or plates, resulting in a pasta with a rougher, grainy texture. This allows the sauce (or even just extra-virgin olive oil) to cling perfectly to each piece of pasta, marrying their flavors.

Finally, the pasta's drying process plays a role in its quality. Traditionally pasta was dried in the sun, but today to replicate that process, good-quality pasta is dried for a long time at low temperatures as opposed to the high-heat treatment that more industrial pastas are treated to, which destroys the delicate nutty flavor of the flour. This long, slow process creates a pasta with optimal flavor and texture when cooked.

So when searching the shelves for the best quality of dried pasta, read your package labels and choose an imported Italian pasta, with a visibly rough texture, and a light blond color (a dark yellow color indicates high-heat drying process).