1. Durum Wheat Presented by Justin Salberg

2. Origins Abyssinia  Modern Day Ethiopia Archaeological Evidence  Cultivated in Byzantine Egypt just before rise of Islam Arabs spread the crop  Mid-East  Genoese document about macaroni: 1273

3. History Domestication  10-15k BCE Difficult to track  Tria—Italian  Aletria—Catalan  Itriya—Arabic  Al-fidawsh—Muslim Fideo-Spanish Fidelli-Italian On “the scene” in 13 th C Pasta credit given to Roman gods or Chinese

4. Revolution…of a sorts Durum wheat allowed cultivation of numerous marginal lands  Flexible  Semi-arid Land used for grazing or occasional growing  Could now produce significant yields  Expansion of rural settlements High energy food

5. Uses Pasta, pasta, pasta Base in Arab cooking  Gnocchi, soup, stuffings Replaced some other wheat varieties for breads  Fine grind makes flat, round breads Pilafs Couscous

6. Why Durum? Drought resistant Can be stored for up to 60-80 years  Low water content Germinability  3-5 years; 30 years under best conditions Primarily used for human consumption  Little to no energy lost in protein conversion Export crop  Though domestic markets have grown considerably since its introduction Receives a specific premium price  Berlin Summit 2000-2006

7. Durum Wheat Today Monsanto  525 million dollars Grown in  S Europe  N and S America North Dakota!  North Africa  Former USSR Genetic Engineering and Breeding  Improve energy and protein content  Eliminate disease vulnerability

8. Introduction to the United States USDA researchers brought Durum back from Russia  Early 1800s Most mills wouldn’t accept it  USDA pushed hard Controversy  Domestic preference for bread, but durum wasn’t white flour  Bleaching Harmful to humans? Demand grew with WWI and WWII  Dropped after until the 1960s  Today’s pasta market

9. Semolina Semolina produces pasta  Coarsely ground durum Grain size is best indicator

10. Pasta-Making 1 st C. AD  Apicius’ treatise on the art of cooking Production of pasta for sale  15 th -16 th C. Primarily made in the home by artisans  1933: First continuous pasta press Pasta consumption has increased Changed from occasional to everyday

11. Organic, Sustainable…and Countertops? Built-in drought resistance Organic production and sales  Purcell Mountain Farms  Homegrown Harvest  Rustichella d’Abruzzo TorZo  Wheat straw Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service  Co-ops  501(c)3—nonprofit, tax-exempt Arizona Grain  Desert Durum

12. Issues Pesticide treadmill  Pirimifos Methyle, Diazinon, Alachror, Carbaryl, Vinclozonil, Diclorvos, Permetrina, and Malathion Monocropping  Fertilizer Little use of organics  Soil Erosion

13. Questions or Comments? Fun facts  October is National Pasta Month  In the 13 th C. the Pope set quality standards for pasta  More than 600 different pasta shapes  One bushel of durum can produce enough pasta for one person to eat three times a week for 70 weeks