Who better to rate pasta than two Italian-born grandmas? Nonna Regina and Nonna Clelia, both 82, hail from Positano and Montano Antilia, respectively, and currently live down the street from each other in the New York neighborhood of Howard Beach, Queens. It's not so much that they live for pasta—more that they live on it. Both women enjoy pasta three to four times per week, typically with "red sauce" or a "garlic and oil sauce—-more southern Italian," Regina says. Pasta is the de facto dinner in both their homes, so it has to be "truly special for these ladies to get excited," says Clelia's daughter, Mena.
Much to our surprise, the nonne didn't wax nostalgic about pasta in the old country, which was sold loose by the pound. Clelia actually thinks "it's better these days" and more consistent than the pasta she ate as a girl. We challenged them to take a blind taste test of three brands.
Barilla
Made in Parma, Italy, and Ames, Iowa, Barilla is the best-selling pasta brand in the United States and in Italy. Despite being manufactured all over the world, the family-owned company says it stays true its Italian roots by using the same recipe since 1877. Legend has it that founder Riccardo Barilla would powder the sleeves of his black suit with semolina. If no specks remained once he brushed it off, the flour was dry and fine enough to be used.
The nonne say:
"Barilla è buona. This pasta has the most golden color. The consistency is just right after ten minutes of cooking, and the noodles hold the marinara well."
Delverde
Since starting its company in 1970, the Delverde family has made pasta the "Abruzzo way," using local mineral water and shaping the dough in bronze molds. The pasta is then dried slowly at low heat to help the wheat maintain its nutty flavor and nutritional value.
The nonne say:
"It tastes heartier than Barilla. A stick-to-your-ribs pasta that's slightly more al dente, without being chewy. This is like pasta in Italy. It just feels right."
Giuseppe Cocco
When Giuseppe Cocco says his family's pasta is made by traditional methods, he's not kidding. Sifting through the rubble of their town, Fara San Martino, after World War II, the Cocco family recovered pasta machine parts and reconstructed their machines, which they still use today. Like Delverde, this pasta is made in bronze molds and dry at low temperatures, which means smaller batches with more flavor.
The nonne say:
"This is what pasta should taste like; it holds up very nicely. It has the thickest body and a robust, non-egg taste."
