Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68592
Quality Bakers Since 1913 T here's no doubt about it: This country adores Italian food. "Americans continue to have a love affair with all things Italian. We love to learn about the Italian culture, and there is real interest in the U.S. for lesser-known pasta cuts," says Paul Ferrari, president of A.G. Ferrari, San Francisco. "As we gain a better understanding of the cuisine from the different regions in Italy, and as we become more knowledgeable about the various pasta cuts, we want the different, unique cuts and we want to know the types of sauces that are best served with them." The desire for authentic specialty pasta cuts, he says, is part of the ascending taste level of Americans. Importing Regional Favorites Italy comprises 20 different regions, each with its own specialty pasta cuts. Cuts such as orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta) from Puglia and bucatini (thick, straw-like spaghetti with a hole in the center) from Roma, while not as familiar as penne and rigatoni, have worked their way from specialty store shelves to supermarket shelves in the United States. But many authentic pasta cuts—such as strangozzi, a strand egg pasta from Umbria; tortiglioni (similar to fusilli) from Campagna; and foglie d'ulivo (which translates to "olive leaves"), a flat pasta from Liguria, Campagna, Toscana and Puglia—are new to Americans and even newer to the U.S. retail market. Previously, these obscure cuts were available only in specific Italian regions, but slowly the pastas have been crossing the Atlantic thanks to growing con- sumer demand as well as improvements in importing and exporting. "The traditional Italian cuts have been in Italy for a long time. These cuts are more expensive and harder to do for the industrial market—they cannot be mass-produced, so there is limited quan- tity available," says Giovanni Colavita, president of Colavita, Edison, N.J., which markets its eponymous pasta brand in supermarkets nationwide and its high- er-end Dal Raccolto and Fusco brands in specialty stores. "They have not been available outside of Italy until recently." But as more specialty food stores throughout the country are able to import these atypical varieties, and more Italian pasticcios (pasta makers) are able to export them, a new market is emerging. Every DELI needs this TRIO OF OLD-WORLD BREADS Remember the Rubschlager Rye-Ola® Great for every day! Breads - www.RubschlagerBaking.com Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 1422 (773) 826-1245 Chicago, IL Celebrating 100 years of quality, exciting new products and classic favorites… Y Brandt Zwieback & Liqueur-Filled Chocolate Y Niederegger Marzipan & Nougat Y Rausch Plantation Chocolates Y Favorit All Natural Swiss Preserves Y Hans Freitag Cookies Y Mestemacher Whole Grain Breads and Muesli Y Onno Behrends All Natural Herbal Teas … and more Stop by the Carl Brandt, Inc. booth at the Summer Fancy Food Show to receive a valuable coupon towards your next order. Booth #2107 CARL BRANDT, INC. 140 Sherman Street, Fairfi eld, CT 06824 Ph (203) 256-8133 Fax (203) 256-8135 www.carlbrandt.com Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 2107 JULY/AUGUST 2012 117 PHOTOS: MARK FERRI; FOOD STYLED BY LESLIE ORLANDINI; PROPS STYLED BY FRAN MATALON-DEGNI