June 2010
Khorasan wheat, Triticum turgidum spp. turanicum, is a non-hybridized ancient wheat native to Asia Minor and Egypt. It is named Khorasan after the largest province in Persia, its northeast region, where it dominated agriculture. Persia became Iran in 1935. Khorason in Persian means ‘place of the sun.’ This rare non-hybridized grain offers the highest protein of all wheat, and is a relative of durum wheat. Other common names of this ancient wheat are Kamut trademarked in 1990, Camel's Tooth, Oriental, Prophet's, or King Tut's wheat. It was introduced in the U.S.A. in Montana in 1949. Its golden grains or berries are three times the size of modern wheat. Khorasan wheat can be used in place of hard wheat, durum wheat, and soft or pastry wheat. It makes excellent pasta with mild sweet flavor and smooth texture. This grain is featured in seven varieties of EDEN pasta, including Kamut Ditalini. EDEN kamut pastas are so smoothly textured, there is always surprise in them being 100 percent whole grain. Many with intolerance to modern hybrid wheat find they can thoroughly enjoy this ancient variety.
Little Thimbles
Ditalini meaning ‘little thimbles’, are short, ribbed, tube pasta about the size of a pencil's eraser head. It originated in the Campania region of southern Italy. Ditalini pasta is used in making the classic Italian pasta and beans dish, pasta e fagioli, and in minestrone, Italian wedding, and other clear broth soups. It also works well in casseroles, salads, and with sauces such as pesto that are held to it in abundance by its ridges.
Artisan Crafted
EDEN Kamut Ditalini is artisan crafted at the Eden Organic Pasta Company, a Detroit landmark that has made pasta daily since 1923. Using only traditional techniques and vintage Italian equipment, it was the first third-party certified organic food processing facility in North America. EDEN Kamut Ditalini is 100 percent U.S.A. whole grain Khorasan wheat from the high plains of Montana, freshly milled at Eden's Michigan headquarters. Flour is thoroughly kneaded with purified water developing a dough that is extruded with a screw press through a vintage brass ditalini die and cut to length. After shaping, EDEN Kamut Ditalini is spread on trays and initially steam dried to reduce moisture evenly from the inside out. It then spends 16 hours in the air-drying room for a perfect finish. Each step helps create pasta of the finest flavor, texture, and character. The pasta is packed in reclosable, recycled, and recyclable boxes with an Eden kitchen-tested recipe, Ditalini Bean Salad with Artichoke, on its back and a photo of it prepared.
Nourishing Whole Grain
EDEN Kamut Ditilini, in fact all EDEN kamut pasta, is 100 percent whole grain that is central to health providing the broadest spectrum of nutrients in the proportions needed for well-being. Kamut Ditalini is low fat and made without salt. It is an excellent source of fiber and protein, and a good source of iron, thiamin B1, niacin B3, magnesium, and zinc. These short, ribbed tubes are versatile and fun to eat in soups, salads, and casseroles, and hold a lot of your favorite sauce.
