DurumWheat

Presented by Justin Salberg

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

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 13th C Pasta credit given to Roman

gods or Chinese

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

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

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

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

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

Semolina

Semolina produces pasta Coarsely ground durum

Grain size is best indicator

Pasta-Making

1st C. AD Apicius’ treatise on the art

of cooking Production of pasta for sale

15th-16th C. Primarily made in the home

by artisans 1933: First continuous

pasta press Pasta consumption has

increased Changed from occasional

to everyday

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

Issues

Pesticide treadmill Pirimifos Methyle,

Diazinon, Alachror, Carbaryl, Vinclozonil, Diclorvos, Permetrina, and Malathion

Monocropping Fertilizer

Little use of organics Soil Erosion

Questions or Comments?

Fun facts October is National Pasta

Month In the 13th 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