FAQ.
IS IT HOMEMADE PASTA?
We cannot say that there is no "homemade pasta" on sale, but virtually all the dry pasta on sale
comes from industrial or semi-industrial processes, which differ in size and modernity of the
structure and systems. Almost all pasta factories in Italy follow the same production methods.
The main differences lie in the amount produced and the drying method, but not in the production
method; ensilage, mixing and drawing are automatic processes used by all, while the drying process
can be carried out in automatic dryers or in static cells.
The passage from artisan workshop to industrial pasta factory is a choice that we made a long
time ago, and means we are able to transform the raw materials into stable, safe, certified and
top quality products.
The industrial top quality that is now called: "Selezioni Monograno by Valentino Felicetti".
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WHAT IS A HANDMADE PRODUCT?
Handmade pasta does not have a legal definition. The "Artisan enterprise" exists, but we must not
confuse the legal status of a company with its product and quality.
The goodness of the product depends on the quality of the raw materials (wheat, flour, etc.) and the
ability and experience in processing the product to get that final exceptional quality that is well
known and appreciated by all.
The framework law governing artisans, no. 443 dated 08/08/1985 regulates artisan work, defining it
as mainly manual, carried out by members of the same family without an effective production chain
that uses standard machinery. However, today, virtually all pasta makers use industrial equipment.
The flour is produced by industrial mills (which means the raw material has already been produced
industrially); the fundamental phases that define the pasta making process (mixing, drawing, cutting
and drying) are generally performed by machines, and manual work normally involves just certain
phases (like "dosing" the raw materials in the pasta mixers, carrying the pasta to the drying
cells or certain packaging processes) that are not strictly involved with production.
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WHERE IS THE PASTA MADE?
We come from the Trentino-South-Tyrol region, and in our valleys there is a centuries' old tradition
of milling wheat, and the artisan workshops in the area became the Felicetti pasta factory at the
beginning of last century.
We make excellent pasta, using our water which springs forth high up on the mountains and the pure dry
air which everyone envies us for.
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ARE CEREALS ITALIAN?
The spelt comes from a few hectares of land in Umbria, between Gualdo Tadino and Gubbio, meaning it is
as Italian as the Durum Wheat.
Kamut requires a certain climate and very fertile soil and its best habitat is in Canada, where it is
cultivated.
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DO YOU USE GMO CEREALS?
Our methods are all organic, which means that all chemical fertilizers and plant protection products
have been banned, increasing the natural fertility of the soil and exploiting only the biological
cycles of organic energy. The result is a product that clearly demonstrates its goodness when it is
tasted, with the aromas, perfumes and flavours that only purity can bring.
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IS SPELT LIKE UNREFINED CORN, IS IT ROUGH AND DOES IT BREAK?
Spelt is a very ancient cereal and, like Kamut, it is very delicate.
It gives its best if combined with modern technology that amplifies its values, correcting its poor
stability during cooking.
We process it in the semiwholewheat state to conserve the protein and nutritional substances as far as
possible, at the same time making sure it is not too bitter to taste.
Bronze drawing makes it rough, but semiwholewheat Spelt does not have a rough flavour and it does not
break if it is not overcooked.
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IS IT BIOLOGICAL?
All our raw materials only come from organic farms, and all the processes, from sewing to packaging
the finished product, are scrupulously supervised.
The product is certified by the relative boards in Italy, Germany, the USA and Japan.
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN THE PASTA HAS A WHITISH COLOUR?
The whitish colour could be caused by too hard a mixture, creating surface abrasion that is given off
during cooking, making the surface tacky and the water cloudy.
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WHAT FEATURES DOES BRONZE DRAWING GIVE TO THE PRODUCT?
Bronze has the advantage of making the pasta surface rough, making it easier to trap the sauces.
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WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS WITH BRONZE DRAWING?
Bronze drawing is a critical passage for the pasta maker, whose ability lies in regulating the
consistency of the mixture and the extrusion speed to get rough pasta with the right consistency.
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HOW LONG DOES BRONZE DRAWING TAKE?
It depends on the pasta shape; some draw plates, like those for spaghetti for instance, can work up to
1,400-1,500 hours; while other pasta shapes that cause greater wear to the inserts, work for about
400-500 hours.
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IS IT DRIED SLOWLY AT A COOL TEMPERATURE?
"Selezioni Monograno by Valentino Felicetti" are dried at a medium temperature.
From our experience we have learned that this is the best choice to guarantee the quality level we
require, conserving intact all the nutritional properties and respecting the flavour.
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WHAT DOES "DRYING AT MEDIUM TEMPERATURE" MEAN?
Medium temperatures - i.e. below 80°C - keep all the organoleptic features of the product intact, reducing
damage caused by heat. Furthermore, from a nutritional point of view, with low temperatures there is no
drastic loss of certain essential ammino-acids, like lysine. The traditional process has no positive
effect on the cooking quality of the pasta, if not to make it easier to keep and preserve the quality.
This means that the cooking quality of pasta dried at low temperatures is practically correlated to the
quality of the raw material: medium or low quality cereals would make pasta subject to uneven cooking,
tacky and with little hold.
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IS IT TRUE THAT PASTA THAT IS DRIED AT HIGH TEMPERATURES IS CONSIDERABLY IMPROVED DURING COOKING?
The net improvement in the quality of the pasta during cooking is due to a certain "waterproofing" that
high temperatures give the product, which means lower quality raw materials can be used which still
produce a pasta that is always "slightly underdone".
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HOW IMPORTANT IS THE WATER FOR THE MIXTURE?
The water is needed to mix the flour; we use the water from our alpine spring to create the best
conditions to produce gluten, despite the fact this means much longer mixing times.
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WHAT ARE THE BLACK DOTS?
The black dots that are sometimes found in pasta are the result of grinding the wheat, as seeds from
other plants can occasionally be found (for example vetch).
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ARE YOU CERTIFIED?
Since 1995 we are members of CCPB, a control board that certifies our biological production.
The company applies the certified ISO 9001:2000/VISION quality system and has obtained BRC and IFS
certifications, which certify the implementation of all the self-control systems for production.
We also have REG.EEC 2092/91, USDA, JAS and KOSHER certification.
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