The best dry Italian pasta (in our opinion)
We did the taste test for you, and loved every minute. Some tips for shopping for pasta.
I think it’s safe to say Giuseppe and I are obsessed with Pasta. We like to eat, make it, buy it, gift it, sell it (JK, not yet. But let’s all take a moment to *manifest* that).
Last summer Giuseppe and I went to Campania in search of delicious food, an easy task considering each street seems to contain more delicious treats than the last. During this trip, we were determined to find incredible pasta, which led us straight to Gragnano, AKA 'Città della Pasta' (City of Pasta).
When we arrived we walked into a bakery, Forneria di Massa, and the cutest nonna was sitting behind the counter. The pastries looked incredible and we knew she would have the best recs for pasta… Unfortunately….
naive and curious couple take nonna’s advice lightly and visit several bigger pasta houses in Gragnano first.
To be fair, they were very fun to see! BUT, our favorites were the smaller companies, off the main piazza tucked away on beautiful little side streets. Finding them felt like a secret and we were able to peek through the screen doors to see what they were making. We left Gragnano with a trunk full of pasta and big plans!
After 9 months of slurping down approximately 130lbs (LOL, yes we did the math) of pasta, we have some favorites: Somma and Fabbrica della Pasta.
What’s that noise? It’s the nonna slapping her palms together, shaking them up and down saying “te l’ho detto” (I told you so) in the Italian gesture of exasperation.
One of the reasons we love Italy so much is because it’s a place that inspires you to share small moments with strangers, including conversations about who makes the best pasta <3
Pasta notes
There are companies that excel at making long pasta and companies that excel at making short pasta. Very few do both well. That’s why it’s important to explore different pasta shapes and sizes with multiple brands.
Somma is fantastic at making short thick pasta like paccheri. Giuseppe loves flipping paccheri in the pan with the sauce and it’s a personal pet peeve when it breaks easily. This pasta holds its shape well and has an incredible texture!
Fabbrica della Pasta di Gragnano makes fantastic spaghetti, vesuvio, and linguine. Honestly, they’ve done a great job with just all of their pasta.
What To Look For
When shopping for a high-quality pasta check the color, texture, extrusion type, and ingredients.
You’re looking for a warm matte yellow pasta with a rough texture. If you look closely at the pasta you might be able to find specks of white, as you run your finger down the pasta it should be quite rough.
The extrusion type is often listed on the front of the package, look for bronze die or trafilata al bronzo. For the ingredients look for just wheat.
Here are some delicious summer pasta recipes:
Pasta al Pomodoro 2.0, we recommend the Lina.
Pasta con Pancetta e Zucchine, if you’re going to skip the pancetta use either lina or turi.
Pasta Aglio e Olio, we recommended oil the Turi.
Looking for a new olive oil set?
Check out the Opus Zeli, it includes 1 Turi, 1 Lina, and the No.9. Perfect for those looking for an oil to cook with and some to use as a finishing oil. Le mix and match : )
We hope this has been helpful for you! A presto.
-Skyler & Giuseppe
P.S. WE LAUNCHED IN CRATE & BARREL NATIONWIDE (and online)! We are so excited because Crate & Barrel is one of our favorite retailers : ) If you see EXAU in a store near you please send us a photo or tag us on Instagram or Tiktok! FYI, apparently, the NYC display is v cute ; )
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Is it possible to buy these pastas in the United States? I tried to order them from their websites but it doesn't look like they ship to the US. Thank you.