Fara San Martino pasta

Fara San Martino, a village in the province of Chieti at the entrance to the Majella gorges, is world-famous for its dried pasta. Pasta makers were established here at the end of the 19th century, thanks to the very pure water of the river Verde springs and mountain air suited to drying.

Fara pasta is made with durum wheat semolina and water, bronze-drawn for a rough surface and dried slowly. The best way to enjoy it is the simplest: spaghetti with tomato and basil, with extra virgin olive oil from the Chieti hills.

• 400 g Fara San Martino spaghetti
• 700 g peeled tomatoes or ripe cherry tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• Fresh basil
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and chilli (optional)
• Grated pecorino or parmesan

1. In a wide pan warm the oil with the crushed garlic and, if you like, a piece of chilli.
2. Add the tomatoes crushed with a fork (or the cherry tomatoes halved), salt and cook over brisk heat for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water, draining them a minute before the time on the packet.
4. Add the spaghetti to the pan with the sauce and a small ladle of cooking water; toss over high heat for a minute.
5. Remove the garlic, add torn basil and a drizzle of raw oil. Serve with cheese on the side.

• Bronze-drawn pasta needs a few minutes more cooking: always taste it.
• Tossing it in the pan with cooking water makes it creamy without adding fat.
• It also goes well with tiny-meatball ragù or with garlic, oil and Altino sweet pepper.

We do not have photos of this dish yet: the image is an illustration made for this page.

At the end of the 19th century the first industrial pasta makers were born in Fara San Martino, using water power for the mills and the mountain climate to dry the pasta. The oldest, De Cecco, was founded here in 1886; today several historic pasta makers work in the village.

From this small Majella village, Abruzzo pasta has reached tables all over the world.