ou have heard about it, but do you really know what durum wheat is and why it is better for making pasta than common wheat of bread-making quality?

The word ‘durum’ is actually a Latin word for ‘hard’. Durum is a select kind of wheat, differing from common wheat of bread-making quality in the larger size and greater hardness of its grain. Most importantly, the difference is in the higher protein content – durum wheat has 30-50% more protein than common wheat. In pasta, the protein content has an impact on the quality of the pasta itself. A higher protein content means higher-quality pasta.

Durum wheat is not so readily available as common what of bread-making quality, and undergoes a more complex milling process. Due to that as well as due to its valuable nutritional properties, durum wheat meal is markedly more expensive than common flour for bread-making.

In order to achieve top quality, we use select and carefully controlled top-quality durum meal.

In plants owned by large industrial companies, the drying of pasta is merely one of the steps on the production line and commonly lasts for an hour or two. In order for the pasta to dry in such a short period of time, it is dried at high and extremely high temperatures of 80 °C, even above 100 °C.

On the other hand, quality pasta is like a quality prosciutto – it is dried for a longer period of time. Therefore our fuži are dried for nearly a whole day – not on the production line, but in specially designed thermal chambers, just like all other Marodi pasta. It is dried at a significantly lower temperature, which is why it lasts so long.

Longer drying at lower temperatures helps the pasta retain its nutritious ingredients, giving it better organoleptic properties (appearance, colour, texture and taste), as well as making it easier to digest.

Eggs contain an extremely wide range of nutrients. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins (of the highest biological value because they contain all necessary amino acids in the right ratios), healthy fats and some lesser-known, but important substances (such as some of the B-complex vitamins and antioxidants).

Therefore it is not surprising that pasta with eggs is nutritionally richer than egg-free pasta. Moreover, it is tastier, has a more intensive yellow colour and a better texture. For the production of Marodi pasta, we use exclusively checked and pasteurised fresh eggs, with frequent controls at every step of the production.

We recommend that you use a large pot, with a volume that is ten times bigger than the net product weight (400 g of pasta in 4 l of water). Pasta is added to boiling water and cooked for the amount of time printed on the product packaging for al dente firmness. The cooking time varies depending on the pasta shapes, and is listed on every packaging.

Before the water starts to boil, 1 tablespoon of salt is added to 4 l of water. If you want to add oil, add it to already cooked (served) pasta. Adding oil during boiling will not prevent the pasta from sticking. With the right water to pasta ratio, using high-quality pasta like ours will prevent the pasta from sticking together during boiling. Cooking low-quality pasta with low protein and high carbohydrate content releases too much carbohydrates and makes the pasta stick together.

Al dente (literally: “to the tooth”) is an Italian expression denoting a pasta cooking method where it is cooked until it is still firm, but no longer hard. It still offers resistance when bitten into, but must be chewed due to its firmness.

Pasta cooked al dente retains its aroma, texture and original taste. In this manner, the taste of the pasta reaches its full potential so that you may enjoy it completely.

Pasta cooked al dente has a lower glycaemic index compared to pasta cooked soft or mushy, meaning that it does not elevate blood sugar substantially. Avoiding sudden oscillations of sugar levels in the blood is good for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, elevated cholesterol levels, type II diabetes and obesity. Some studies have also shown that pasta cooked al dente is more easily digestible, while overcooked pasta puts a much bigger strain on the digestive system.

Pasta should not be rinsed after cooking because some of the nutrients would be washed away.

Many famous chef refrain from throwing away water in which pasta was cooked, using it to enrich the dish itself due to the nutrients contained in the water. We recommend that you do not fully strain the pasta.

After cooking, the pasta is best mixed with sauce immediately and eaten warm!