Pasta made with ancient grains at M’Ama Restaurant

One of the symbolic ingredients of Italian cuisine is undoubtedly pasta which enters the gastronomic desires of every person who is going to travel to Italy. Whichever Italian region you visit, a typical dish will not fail to offer pasta. But the differences in the choice of the basic product of this dish are radical when a pasta made with ancient grains is used.

What are ancient grains? First of all, it is well to know that in Italy there is a great variety of traditional autochthonous grains (wheat), an ancient expression of each territory. Italy boasts over 500 denominations of old varieties of "traditional grains", old local varieties that have developed over time in a specific region (or area), creating an indissoluble bond with the populations that live the territory. These grains of very ancient origin have been preserved and thanks to this preservation work, today they are still grown in small plots, by local farmers who have not lost their memory in favor of intensive cultivation. Ancient grains are one of our nation's many riches. Thanks to this painstaking work of dedication, farms that keep these seeds produce wheat in a sustainable way. Stone ground wheat allows the production of excellent dry pasta and artisan bread that make the great taste difference.

Ristorante M’Ama Pasta made with ancient grains At the M'Ama Restaurant in Praiano you can taste some dishes from our menu that enhance local products and the ancient grains of Campania as well. To make the fresh pasta for these dishes, we use stone-ground flour from the Cooperativa sociale Terra di Resilienza di Monte Frumentario . Founded in 2012 in the heart of Cilento, it aims to collect and process local grains and ensure that they are processed that respects their nature, with slow grinding and low temperature milling >, indispensable rules for producing the best high quality flour, as it used to be.

Thanks to this exceptional quality flour, we make two types of traditional pasta from Campania and the Amalfi Coast: Ndunderi di Minori and Scialatielli. The Ndunderi di Minori , with their particular shape, are a type of fresh pasta similar to gnocchi (dumplings), but larger in size. Their peculiarity is that they don't necessarily have to all be perfectly identical in shape. That’s why the manual work is the essential ingredient. Their history has very ancient roots, since the times of the ancient Romans. Prepared with a dough made from flour, potatoes and cow ricotta cheese. A traditional pasta that is linked to a Christian feast in Minori, but which, if in the past it was usually prepared for the celebrations of the Patron Saint Trofimena. Today it is a dish that can be tasted all year round, accompanied by wonderful condiments with local products.