Italians are no strangers to pasta; they have been eating pasta since the 11th Century, so they know a thing or two about it. Of course, pasta has long since passed the time when it was considered an exclusively Italian dish; it is a food consumed throughout the world.

In North America, as well as in Italy, the best restaurants serve high-end pasta. Unfortunately, in Italy as in North America, cheap, mass-produced pasta with no redeeming value has flooded the market. This substandard pasta is extruded by the ton; vitamins and minerals are artificially added and it’s sold on price. At the cheapest levels, pasta just provides calories as it is just about tasteless…and it definitely needs sauce.

By contrast, better pasta provides thiamin, niacin and folates. But most of all, its flavour should be so delicious that sauces are never needed. Most people have never had the pleasure of tasting really good pasta such as that.

Morelli – Naturally

All of this talk about quality naturally brings us to Morelli pasta, or more exactly, the company of Antico Pastificio Morelli. Founded in 1860, Morelli is located in San Romano in the province of Pisa. The family of pasta makers is now in its fifth generation. The company uses the very best hard-durum wheat because, just as we believe here at Qualifirst, superior raw materials make for exceptional dishes.

Morelli does something that not many pasta makers go through the trouble of doing: they add wheat germ back into the pasta which boosts the nutritional profile, as well as the taste, and turns the pasta into a whole wheat product.

Why don’t mass market pasta makers take this step? It’s because the germ of wheat is high in protein and therefore perishable. More than that, it is an expensive process and they don’t want to go through the cost.

Nutrition, Health & Taste

Morelli is oriented toward nutrition, health and, most important, taste. Their unique way of respecting the raw ingredients of pasta results in a truly amazing product. Even in Italian supermarkets you will find mostly cheap pasta, but in upscale gourmet food shops, you will predominantly find Morelli.

Qualifirst carries a broad range of Morelli pastas. I will briefly describe just a few of their pastas to give you an idea of what makes them superior, but really, the best way to understand the quality of Morelli pasta is to try it and taste the difference for yourself.

First, all Morelli pastas are rich in colour because they’re made with natural ingredients. Before your dinner guests even taste these pastas, the visual appeal will be their first indication that they’re going to be in for a treat.

And then, there’s the taste. I’ll briefly describe just a few:

Garlic and Basil Morelli Pasta:

This pasta is unique because the prominent basil and garlic flavours are derived from Italian Sweet Basil and real Italian garlic. Every bite carries the authentic taste of Italy.

Morelli Scatolina Penne w/ Cacao:

This Morelli pasta is unique, modern and totally unusual. Do you have a chocolate lover in your life? This chocolate penne pasta is dark brown in colour and the cacao definitely imparts rich flavours to the pasta. This is pasta that tastes great hot, but cold as well.

Tagliatelle Porcini Mushroom Pasta:

Pardon the pun here, but there is ‘no mushroom’ for debate that this pasta is intense! The classic taste and aroma of the small Italian Porcini – which is for you mushroom lovers, the Boletus Edibilis – also known as Bolets – almost literally “shoots out” of this amazing flat pasta.

I urge anyone who appreciates a great meal of pasta to take the plunge and discover why even Italians consider Morelli to be the “Upper-End Pasta” of Italy.