A unique pasta
I remember the pasta made by hand by my grandmother that truly tasted of grain, so good that as a child I’d steal a bit as soon as it was drained to taste without sauce.
I wanted to make a pasta as good as that. I decided that our pasta must be extraordinary, immediately recognizable for texture and form and, of course, for its unique flavor.

Low temperatures
Carla and I talked things over at length before making the decision to use the classic bronze dies that leave the surface of the pasta rough and porous to perfectly absorb any type of sauce or condiment. We also decided on the slow drying method at low temperatures (40-45°C) for periods that vary from 24 to 48 hours, according to the size and shape of each pasta. That was the only way to make pasta that preserves the molecular structure of the starches while maintaining the color, aroma, flavor and texture of the finest durum wheat selected in my experimental fields.
I certainly couldn’t have used usare the industrial method dominant since the 1960s when bronze dies were substituted by dies with slots of synthetic resin (a plastic), rendering a smooth pasta that scarcely absorbs sauces. That system also involves drying at temperatures as high as 85-100°C to shorten the process to 3 or 4 hours, increasing productivity to the detriment of quality. Ordinary pasta often seems to be glazed because the high drying temperatures fuse the protein molecules with those of the starches, eradicating the aromas and flavors of durum wheat

The bronze dies
Only one thing was missing: the choice of special pasta forms. In April of 1990, I designed bronze dies following meticulous criteria, guided by my own taste, as well as Carla’s, with respect to Italy’s gastronomic traditions. But my overriding desire was to create dies that give our pasta unique forms that bear little resemblance to the standard types from dies listed in catalogues. That’s why Pasta Latini can be recognized at a glance on the plate before it’s even tasted.

The durum wheat
Then came the impassioned, almost maniacal task of selecting and perfecting varieties of durum wheat grown in Italy,with the aim of obtaining the best possible blends for our pasta year after year. That experience permitted us to create the first pasta from a single variety of grain in 1992. In fact, in that year, the Senatore Cappelli Line, debuted as the world’s first single-variety durum wheat pasta. That was followed in 2000 by the Taganrog Line. In both cases, we recovered ancient varieties of durum wheat that on their own make pasta of exceptional aroma and flavor.

Farro
In the meantime, another process of selection begun in 1994 resulted in the Farro, introduced in 2002. Among the pastas made from the antique variety of farro, our Linea Farro is unique in quality as well as in diversity with 10 classic types perfectly suited to any kind of sauce or condiment.
The story of Pasta Latini continues today, as ever, in my fields, where I select and grow the finest varieties of durum wheat for pasta appreciated by the world’s great chefs. Our best customers are cooks and connoisseurs who agree that the delights of the table belong in the realm of art and culture and that Pasta Latini inspires genius in the kitchen.