An ancient grain rediscovered: everyone wants spelt pasta.

The spelt is a cereal that belongs to the grass family. Here in Italy, it is mostly spoken of in Tuscany, as the majority of high-quality spelt comes from the Garfagnana. Today, there is a real boom in sales for this organic product, but not only that: spelt pasta is also flying off the shelves.

This cereal has multiple nutritional benefits and mainly aligns with a more modern, alternative, and health-conscious market trend. We are living in a period of revolution in tastes and the choices of more discerning consumers regarding what they eat: millennials aged 25 to 37 are now the most revolutionary group in this respect. For this reason, spelt is becoming a food with strongly contemporary added values. First and foremost, it is very high in fiber; it is a source of selenium, one of the most important anti-aging and antioxidant elements found in nature; it provides vitamins A, B, C, E, and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, and potassium.

From a caloric intake perspective, it is very similar to plant-based flours, and indeed, spelt pasta has the same number of calories as whole wheat pasta, about 335-345 Kcal per 100 grams. Today, spelt is recommended in all low-calorie diets where a significant amount of fiber is also required. It is excellent for weight loss dietary programs and for athletes who need vitamin and mineral intake to counter excessive fluid loss.
 
Spelt comes in two types, which are the most commonly used for food: Triticum dicoccoides and Triticum spelta. The latter is larger and comes from central and eastern European territories, as well as France. Our spelt from Garfagnana has a particularly intense flavor: with its flour, a spelt pasta is made that has a rustic and intense taste, but spelt itself is also particularly good in soups, with beans, and in the extraordinary cakes typical of this area of the Upper Serchio Valley.

Spelt was the basis of the diet of the Roman legions and thanks to them it reached all the ancient European colonies, giving its name to the flour itself. Over time, interest in it has diminished in favor of white soft and hard wheat flours. Today, however, it is making a big comeback, partly due to its property of containing a lower quantity of gluten and thus having greater digestibility.

With spelt, everything becomes tastier. Spelt bread is a delight and evokes ancestral feelings that our ancestors experienced, especially for those living in central Italy. Additionally, it is typically organic and produced under low environmental impact agricultural conditions. In short, spelt rhymes with green, health, well-being, pleasantness, and taste: all elements that today’s consumer is looking for. An ancient grain that returns to Italian tables in its simplicity and genuineness, despite the fact that spelt is also the food of the future and a superfood for new generations.

Bernardo Pasquali

S&M