Candido Italy – Artisan pasta from ancient Sicilian wheats

It is common knowledge that the hills in the south-eastern part of Sicily, particularly in the province of Ragusa, have always been a fertile ground for a cereal cultivation of excellence: the wheat! It is in this black soil, dotted with small and medium stones of white limestone, that the “russello” and “tuminia” wheat seed have always found all the favourable conditions to germinate and to grow under the hot sun, preserving all the organoleptic and nutritional properties. Precious wheat grains due to the scarcity of the crops; nutritious wheats, but poor in gluten, that can turn into flours, bread, pasta and desserts that our farmer-housewives knew how to prepare with extreme care. Their recipes are still passed on today with wisdom. This ancient wheat, whose origin dates back to ancient times, represented the main sustenance for entire families and their farms. Everyone, starting from the man to the barnyard animal, enjoyed the natural and candid nourishment of the wheat; thuscreating an incredible food chain that, together with legumes and olive oil, enriched our ancestors’ tables by giving unlimited nutritional wealth. We need to go back to this “philosophy” of simplicity! We need to linger over this concept! For this reason, “a’ Muricà” emerges: an authentic quality brand and genuineness of the products of our territory, the city of Modica. Modica, the birthplace of old arts and expertise for the cultivation of soil, for the breeding, and for the production of everything this territory can give. The farmer from Modica preserves and passes on the secrets, not only for a good production, but also in order to establish the guidelines for a healthy and proper nutrition. Therefore, the spirit that animates the production of “a’ Muricà” is represented by a modern approach of the traditions from the pastby translating them in a modern but rich language of valid and safe contents: the good food.

Selected durum wheat semolina pasta using the bronze wire-drawing technique

Ancient wheats have always represented a priceless value to preserve, because they carry some nutritional characteristics that are unique in the world, together with their tastes and flavourings. Our choice to produce pasta with a flour deriving from “russello” ancient wheat, originates from the will to obtainan even more safe and healthy food that aspires to the best quality. We search for the highest expression of these ancient cultivations that have found their birth and development in Sicily. These cultivations have been re-evaluated after they sank into oblivion due to the industrialization law and the massive production of wheat, which have brought in time genetic modifications and treatments with herbicides and fertilizers in order to increase productivity.

Why use 100% Sicilian ancient wheats?

Ancient wheats have not undergone genetic modifications made by man.
They do not require the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides (glyphosate), and pesticides complying with the standards of biological agriculture.
They possess an even more developed root apparatus in comparison with modern wheats; this allows them to slowly absorb a greater quantity of micro and macro nutrients found in soil, thus increasing their nutritional properties.
The low gluten content of the ancient wheats decreases the possibility to develop intolerances; the genetic improvement of the modern wheats, based on crossings and induced mutations,have made the food less digestible and irritating for the intestine.
The presence of proteins, fibres, mineral salts, and micronutrients make the products derived from ancient wheats particularly easy to digest, with a low glycemic index, and highly nutritious.
The Sicilian summer climate, hot and dry, guarantees a natural maturation of the wheat. Conversely, incolder and humid countries the maturation is often induced by the use of glyphosate.
The cultivated Sicilian wheats cannot develop dangerous mycotoxins for human health due to the effects of the dry Sicilian climate and the farm-to-table production chain.

Artisan Production

“a’ Muricà” pasta is simply madebymixing durum wheat semolina flour and spring water. It is then produced using the bronze wire-drawing technique and slowly dried (20/24 hours) at low temperaturesuntil obtaining the ideal moisture contents, in order to preserve the best organoleptic properties. The bronze wire-drawing technique employs such a traction that, after the various drying processes, it confers the pasta its typical wrinkled and porous character that is useful to hold condiments and sauces. The slow drying, with low and controlled temperatures, guarantees the pasta the possibility to preserve all the nutritionalproperties of the wheat. “Russello” wheat is one of the 32 cultivars of the typical durum wheat; mainly cultivated in the territories of Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Palermo, Ragusa, and Trapani with features of average precocity seeding and late maturation. Its flours, with the addition ofwater,allow the production of highly digestible bread doughs.

Ancient Sicilian wheats

A priceless value to preserve with unique characteristics in the world for flavour and aroma. We search for the highest expression of “Russello” wheat, an old Sicilian cultivation, in order to obtain even more safe and healthy foods.