Pasta di Gragnano IGP

A product and its territory are inextricably linked. Pasta di Gragnano IGP can only be produced within the territory of the Municipality of Gragnano, an area of just 15 sq. km.

Presentation

Gragnano is a unique place thanks to the the peculiar microclimate created by its location between the sea and the Lattari Mountains of the Sorrento Peninsula. Pasta di Gragnano IGP is made using pure spring water and durum wheat semolina, ingredients that the Gragnanesi have used for the production of pasta since ancient times. There is evidence of milling activities dating back to Roman times, however the first family-run pasta factories in the town were born in the 16th century.

In 1845 Ferdinand II of Bourbon granted the Gragnanesi the high privilege of providing the Court all of its long pasta. The act formally sanctioned Gragnano as the “City of Pasta”, which at the time employed 75% of the population in the processing of macaroni with more than 100 pasta factories.

Thanks to its extraordinary history, pasta is everywhere in Gragnano. The history can be found in the Valle dei Mulini, a valley containing the ruins of a dozen ancient mills, the restoration of which is currently underway. On the 5th of April 2019 the first of these restorations on the Antico Mulino Porta Castello di Sopra was completed, this mill dates back to 1616.

The production process to obtain Pasta di Gragnano IGP consists of the following phases: kneading, extrusion or drawing, drying, cooling and stabilization, and ending with packaging. All these phases are carried out in the territory of the Municipality of Gragnano in the province of Naples, using the skills of the Gragnanese pasta makers. Pasta di Gragnano IGP has several forms but is always wrinkled and when cooked, the consistency of the pasta is firm, elastic, uniform and is always al dente.

true italian taste

When was the last time you had dinner in an Italian restaurant in Canada and you thought you were dining in Italy? That’s exactly how “Ospitalità Italiana Certified”restaurants want you to feel when you visit their fine dining establishments.

Ospitalità Italiana is an official certification from Unioncamere, Italy’s federation of local Chambers of Commerce and Industry, that tells you that the food you are enjoying is unquestionably Italian: products are authentic, ingredients genuine and recipes true to the thousand year history of Italian cuisine.

Canada is home to some leading Italian Chefs. Passionate and innovative, many have refined their skills and advanced their knowledge directly in Italy. In addition, Montréal boasts a fabulous cooking school ITHQ where young aspiring chefs learn Italian technic and Italian traditional recipes from the masters.

So the next time you make reservations for an Italian dinner in a Montreal restaurant, ask if they’ve received the Ospitalità Italiana seal of approval. You will enjoy the true Italian taste.