What will the pasta of the future be like? Sustainable and quick to cook

Sustainable and quick to cook. This is how Italians would like pasta in the near future with the addition of varied shapes.

A product that, this is the request, respects the environment and meets the needs of those who have little time to spend at the stove. the photograph emerges on the occasion of the 25th edition of World Pasta Day, scheduled for Wednesday 25 October.

According to the pasta makers of Unione Italiana Food, pasta has been the protagonist of a great transformation, it has been able to renew itself and adapt to different lifestyles with new types (from wholemeal to special or enriched pastas to gluten-free ones) and formats, while remaining equal to itself. Based on a Coldiretti analysis of Ismea data, there is also a rush for the made in Italy product that uses only national wheat with purchases that grew in value by 13% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period of the previous year, and today 4 out of 10 pasta packages (40%) sold in Italy use exclusively durum wheat grown in the country.

As regards the future, underlines Unione Italiana Food, 59% of Italians foresee the introduction of new types with alternative flours or ingredients, while 52.6% hope for more ecological and biodegradable packaging. Furthermore, 35.4% expect the arrival of new pasta formats. And, again, 79.5% are willing to consume pasta at less traditional times such as breakfast or snack, with the condition that it maintains high standards of quality and flavor (48.1%).

For Alessandro Circiello, spokesperson for the Italian Chefs' Federation, «wholemeal and raw flours, perhaps with the addition of bran, are finding more and more space. Always pay attention to cooking, al dente is now a must even abroad, and to risotto pasta which must have time in the pan to release the starches before being creamed." In terms of formats, according to Circiello, «spaghetto is spaghetti even if it is now declined in many ways, depending on the length, consistency and thickness. The egg pasta, both fresh and dried, is also very good."

(Unioneonline/ss)