This short cut, curvy pasta is named for the word “lilies" in Italian, for its flowering shape. The short curls are a great noodle for many sauces, from lamb ragu to basil pesto. Gigli is pronounced GE-LEE. Pasta from Gragnano, a small hill town located outside of Naples, is extremely different than ordinary pasta. It may be because of the sea air, mountain breezes or traditional methods used, but the pasta from this area is nuttier in flavor and has more texture than normal pasta, which allows it to hold sauces better. La Fabbrica Della Pasta is located in Gragnano, the wonderful small hill town in the province of Naples famous for over 500 years for its production of pasta, or “macaroni.” Made from simple ingredients (Gragnano spring water, durum wheat semolina, passion, love and fantasy), pasta in Gragnano is said to be have been produced with three different levels of work: at the household level where women vie against each other for the most fusilli hand wraps in 1 hour, in the artisan level where essential secrets and traditions are handed down from father to son to achieve a product of excellent quality; and the industrial level for a consistently good pasta. So, pasta is pretty much a way of life in Gragnano. La Fabbrica Della Pasta has remained at the top of the twelve remaining pasta makers in the region (down from the original 300) and became the very first pasta factory in the world to obtain IGP (Protected Geographical Origin) certification for its pasta. They are also the first pasta factory in Gragnano to make a strictly bronze drawn artisanal Gluten Free Pasta! In their own words… “A Gragnano pasta production is an ancient art, historical heritage, culture, traditions and secrets. To be born and to live means to be filled in Gragnano, intoxicated by the exciting flavors and scents of durum wheat semolina, pasta, and the result … like magic … you cannot do without! Although we have not been able to resist the magic …. of exciting flavors and scents of Gragnano!” Ingredients: Durum wheat semolina, water Weight: 500 g | 1.1 lb
