Here is a new product from one of the top Pastifico's or pasta makers in Italy. Mancini is at the top of their craft using the best organic wheat in Italy cultivated by a family of passionate farmers. This box contains four different bags of 500g pasta, 3 of which are rarer shapes that are not usually available in the USA, including Fusilli Lunghi, Mezze Maniche, Spaghettoni Quadrati, and lastly, their classic Spaghetti. These are a great way to get some of the more unusual shapes of pasta while saving a little money along the way because it is slightly cheaper in this four-pack format as opposed to buying them individually. We have some of the only "Hady Mini's" in the USA, so don't miss out, and check out our review below for information on Mancini and the pasta that is included. We also have restocked some of our other Mancini pasta's that had been sold out, if interested click here. Fusilli Lunghi A Long version of Fusilli that can be used in place of other longer pastas. About twice as long as Regular Fusilli, it stretches slightly while cooking into a lovely curly pasta. Mezze Maniche Meaning "short sleeves" in Italian, this pasta is like a shorter version of Rigatoni, great for use in rich or meaty pasta dishes that are usually baked. Spaghettoni Quadrati A Thicker, long spaghetti-like pasta with square edges. Very unique and useful for dishes with more robust flavors, so the pasta flavor doesn't get lost. Spaghetti The shape that started it all for Mancini and the most recognizable pasta in existence, you cannot go wrong with Mancini's Spaghetti. Mancini is considered the best pasta maker in Italy, cultivating different durum wheat strains on many terroirs in La Marche, the eastern side of Italy's central coast. An area sandwiched between the Adriatic sea and the Apennine mountains, bordered by Emila Romano and San Marino. Massimo Mancini followed in his grandfather's footsteps deciding to go into Agriculture and in 2007 he founded Mancini pasta, building a beautiful factory right in the middle of his durum wheat field (pictured above). Along with his grandfather and father, Massimo has over 40 different fields planted to 5 different types of Durum wheat: Levante, Maesta, Nazareno, Nono Mariano, and Turanicum Wheat totaling over 450 hectares. Each variety of wheat ripens at a different pace, with different yields, gluten content, protein levels, environmental tolerances, soil preferences, and even flavor. Many of these wheat types were recultivated from near extinction, and Mancini works closely with expert cereal agronomist Oriana Porfiri to make this possible. Mancini's pasta is a careful blend of these different wheat types, excluding the Turanicum Wheat (which goes into its own line of pasta, which we also have available). Mancini rotates crops planted in the wheat fields and will produce things like Alfalfa, clover, chickpeas, and sunflowers to improve the soil fertility each year, a technique called "pulses." All of the wheat fields are grown with sustainability in mind using natural practices used to control weeds and disease as much as possible. Harvesting is completed once every summer, and that harvest will be the pasta blend for the year. Like vintages for wine, each year for the pasta can vary and made of a different blend of wheat. The grain is cleaned and placed in cold storage to prevent insects and mold from affecting the harvest without using chemicals. The wheat is milled down to the proper size for semolina, which is done throughout the year, so every batch of pasta is fresh. Shaping of the pasta is done using a 'die' device that looks like a showerhead and is made out of bronze, a material chosen because it creates a more porous surface area that helps the pasta soak up sauce better. After sizing, the pasta is dried very slowly at low temperature, 24 hours for short cuts and up to 44 hours for longer pasta cuts before packaging. Mancini pasta is unbelievably good and slightly different from the Caponi pasta we have offered previously. This is only made with semolina flour and water and comes in a variety of classic shapes. We have had a few customers ask if we can get this pasta so here it is. Perfect for a family dinner, an upcoming holiday gathering, or just for a casual night at home, this is some of the best pasta available with great texture and depth of flavor. Mancini pasta is easy to make and the difference compared to what is readily available needs to be experienced to understand. Grab a nice bottle of wine and have a deliciously easy home-cooked meal staring some of the best pasta on the planet.
