Dear all,
How's going?
I am really relieved to find you continue to make new posts and put comments regularly.
We are going to the final round of presentations.
You will make questions by next Friday, and maybe the presenters will answer them in a few days after that.
Then, of course you can keep doing Q&A’s, but we will close the class sometime in the 3rd week of this month.
I had no idea that pasta can have different textures depending on the mold used to make it.
Firstly, I know "Semolina". What is Semolina? Other foods contain Semolina?
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削除Semolina is made from "durum wheat". It belongs to wheat family, but it is different species from "common wheat". It is more yellow color and stronger, firmer texture. It is commonly used for pasta, but it is also used in other dishes. In Italy it is used to make bread, and in Africa it is used for dish called "couscous".
I once bought a thin pasta machine because I wanted to make fettuccine. Durum semolina flour was expensive and hard to come by at the time, and unfortunately, no matter how many times I tried, I couldn't make it taste good. So I decided to either buy pasta other than gnocchi or go to a professional shop. (lol)
返信削除When I went to Italy, I asked locals what spaghetti maker(brand) they recommended, and they all said Barilla was the best. Which brand do you prefer?
Thanks for your comment!
削除Pasta machine sounds great. I would like to have one too, but I’m not confident that I could make pasta successfully...
I would also like to visit Italy someday. I have heard that Barilla is a major company that greatly advanced the mass production of pasta and is very popular in Italy.
Among the pasta brands that are available in Japan, I also like Barilla's "Teflon-die" pasta. As for "Bronze-die" pasta, I listed my recommendations on slides p6. My favorite is "Alce Nero"(yellow one). And "De Cecco"(brue one) is easy to find at the supermarket.
Why do you think pasta adapted so easily to Japanese food culture, and what makes Japanese-style pasta feel so different from Italian pasta?
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削除I think major reason is that Japan already had noodle dishes, such as udon and somen. Many Japanese people also slurp their pasta like udon...
I feel Japanese-style pasta has been adapted to resemble traditional Japanese noodle dishes. For example, Napolitan is stir-fried like yakisoba.
Personally, I also think that "fresh spaghetti" is especially popular in Japan because Japanese people tend to like the word “fresh” (nama).
Thank you for your slides about pasta!
返信削除I am curious about the difference between using bronze dies and Teflon dies in pasta production.
You mentioned that many chain restaurants use Teflon dies to make dry pasta. Why is that?
Also, in slide 6, you explained that pasta made with Teflon dies has a smooth and shiny surface, while pasta made with bronze dies has a rough and matte surface. Why does this difference occur?
Is it only because the die material is different, or does the shape or structure of the die also influence the final texture?
Thanks for your comment!
削除Pasta made with Teflon dies is very easy to process. It offers stable quality, and is suited for mass production. It is relatively cheap, and flavor and texture tend to be consistent regardless of who cook pasta dishes. So it is widely used in restaurants.
Difference in surface texture between Teflon die and bronze die pasta is mainly due to the difference in "friction" between the dies. Because Teflon dies prevent dough from sticking (like frying pan with teflon), the surface becomes smooth. However, difference is not just the material of die. Various factors seem to interact, including the structure of die, the quality of durum wheat, the water content, the drying temperature, and the extrusion speed.
Thank you for your interesting presentation about pasta. In Japan, we tend to use long pasta or fettuccine to mix with sauce, or penne or macaroni to make gratin. What type of pasta is commonly used in Italy?
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削除In Italy, long pasta is also very common, but short pasta is just as popular. For example, penne and macaroni are also widely used, and "fusilli", "farfalle", and "orecchiette" are frequently used.
Italian people choose the shape of the pasta according to the sauce. Each region has developed its own unique types of pasta, and the wide variety of shapes is one of the distinctive features in Italy.
I learned that there are many different kinds of pasta. In Japan, I think long, thin pasta is the mainstream, but is this shape popular in other countries?
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削除The history of pasta diversification in Italy is very interesting.
In Italy and Europe, short pasta is also frequently eaten. However, in the world, as similar to Japan, pasta is generally long pasta. But, in the United States, penne and lasagna are also very popular.
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返信削除Sorry for my late comment, and thank you for your presentation.
返信削除In your slide, you mentioned that pasta texture changes depending on the die material, such as Teflon or bronze. How does this difference influence sauce absorption and the overall eating experience?
Thanks for your comment!
削除Bronze-die pasta has rougher surface, so sauces tend to cling to it more easily. For that reason, it pairs well with rich and hearty sauces. On the other hand, Teflon-die pasta goes well with lighter, more delicate sauces. That said, if the sauce is properly "emulsified", it will coat either type of pasta sufficiently.
Sorry for the late reply. There's a Senegalese restaurant near me that serves a dish called couscous. I hear it's a type of pasta too—do you know anything about how it's made?
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