There are few things as quintessentially Italian as pasta.  Correspondingly, at Limoncello we sell a wide variety of pastas dried and fresh.  But not that wide.  After all, at last count there were over 300 distinct forms of Italian pasta.  And well over a thousand different named pastas from the various regions of Italy.  Even by Italian standards this seems a little extreme, and begs the obvious question: why are there so many varieties of Italian pasta?

It comes down to three reasons:

Ingredients

Most Italian pastas are made from a combination of flour and water, with a little egg sometimes added as well.  Sounds simple enough.  Except that each region of Italy traditionally used flour from the type of grain which grows best in the region.  In much of the south this is Durum wheat, making this the most common wheat flour used.  But in other regions you see pastas made from other flours such as semolina, barley, buckwheat, rye, maize, and even chestnut or chickpea!

To that we can add the occasional use of egg, and variations in the proportions of flour to water which can seriously alter the texture and composition of the final product.  Plus the occasional addition of other major ingredients such as spinach, cheese, mushrooms, herbs and spices – mostly in stuffed pastas.

Imagination

The next driver of variation is the sheer imagination of chefs across the years.  More than almost any other foodstuff, pasta can be easily shaped – so we shouldn’t be surprised by the results.  The staple pastas run from flat pasta sheets like lasagna to long spaghetti strings.  From bird’s nests of capelini to the long screw of fileja.  And many styles of ribbons, rings and shells.

At Limoncello we also have a few favourite shapes that stand out to us: the thin twisted trofie; the rope-like loriguittas; the radiatori which look like old-school radiators; foglie d’ulivo, which look like olive leaves; and the inside joke that is capellie da chef – the chef’s hat pasta!

Regional Variety

But what turns a few hundred pasta styles into thousands is the regional variety.  There are so many regions in Italy which were historically isolated and so came up with their own specialities.  Be they Balsamic Vinegar from Moderna; La Tur from Piedmont; or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

But all of these regions also produced and ate copious quantities of pasta.  And each in turn would take a single pasta concept and then run with it in a different direction.  The result is dozens of variations on a single theme.  Be that theme ribbon shaped pasta, rings, you name it.  Each one produced for centuries in only a specific, often tiny region of the land now called Italy.  But each one sufficiently different from other regional varieties to deserve note as a separate and distinct variety.

So while we at Limoncello can’t show off all Italian pastas, we do have a huge variety for your dining pleasure.

Here at Limoncello we’re well aware of the many, many Italian stereotypes.  Some we’re happy to play along with, such as proclaiming loudly to everyone around that we’re the best at what we do.  But others we want to challenge.  Like the stereotypical assumption that all Italian wines are light, fruity and approachable.  And nothing more.

New Old World

It’s easy to see where this assumption came from, as there’s a fair bit of truth to it.  For centuries, French wine and winemaking techniques were the gold standard.  The finest wines came from France, as did mass-market wine for export.

But over time things changed.  New countries such as Italy coalesced out of many smaller states.  New winemaking techniques and technologies were developed.  Global markets emerged along with the transport links to them.  And many new customers across the world could now access and afford a wine habit.  And many of them found French wines too heavy for day-to-day consumption.

During the 2^nd half of the 20^th century wine production skyrocketed across the world.  And in general producers tended to focus on lighter, more approachable wines.  Easier and quicker to make and get to market.  Italy in particular cashed in on this trend, with a vast array of light Pinot Grigios, for example.

Italian Classics

But what makes Italy different from many New World wine regions is pedigree.  There are dozens of tiny regions of Italy with centuries of wine making experience.  Resulting in many lesser known gems of Italian Wine that we at Limoncello have selected for your supping pleasure:

Brunello di Montalcino is a perfect example of such long-standing excellence.  Montalcino is a small medieval village/fortified hill town 500m above sea level not far from Siena, Tuscany.  It enjoys a microclimate which makes it the warmest and driest area in Tuscany, making the grapes ripen earlier.  That, plus a wide range of terroirs, add an incredible level of depth and complexity to wines produced in the region.  Brunello is the premier wine of a region which has always focused on quality over quantity.  It is 100% Sangiovese, and historically has been rare, expensive and highly sought after.

By contrast, Amarone represents a (relatively) new take on wine rather than an old classic.  Historically, red wines from the Veneto region were light and fruity as trying to make them rich and full bodied resulted in too high levels of tannins in the wine – and the astringent bitterness that comes with them.  But starting in 1953, Amarone applied modern winemaking techniques to ameliorate this tannin content.  Resulting in an absolute belter of a wine with the comparatively high alcohol content of above 15%.

And for our quick-fire round we have: Barolo from Piedmont, made from Nebbiolo grapes and alternately referred to as “the king of wines” or “the wine of Kings”; Gavi di Gavi, the awesome white from Piedmont; and Falanghina, contender for the prize of “best grape variety you’ve never heard of before”.  All available at Limoncello.

Here at Limoncello we pride ourselves on providing the highest quality of Italian products.  Yet we are of course based in the UK, making for an interesting cultural fusion which can be tough to pull off.  Especially over the summer during a certain football match.  But one group of products we offer which perfectly showcases this fusion is our range of Malfy gins

Italian Gin?

At first glance the idea of an Italian gin is practically a contradiction in terms.  After all, gin is as much of an English institution as Afternoon Tea.  An Italian version of that would be so different as to be totally unrecognizable.  Though probably also very tasty.

But gin is different.  Sure, the fundamental nature of the spirit we call London Dry Gin is a British creation.  A floral, un-aged, clear and dry spirit flavoured primarily with juniper, plus many secondary botanical elements.  But that concept matured decades ago.  Since then many, many distilleries have put their own spin on that concept by playing around with the secondary botanical elements to create some fascinating new products.

A task which is far easier for gin than for other spirits.  A new premium quality gin can be taken from a concept roughly jotted on a bar napkin to market in as little as 18 months.  To do the same with a top class whiskey, by comparison, may take 15 years!

Malfy Gin

Malfy Gin is said to be inspired by the lifestyle of the Amalfi coast – La Dolce Vita.  Though it is produced in a modern stainless steel still at the Torino Distillati near Turin.  The region itself is steeped in centuries old traditions of spirit, wine and liqueur production.  Though Malfy gin itself is a comparatively new product, introduced to the UK only in 2016.  As such it is a blend of tradition and modernity.  An Italian take on an English concept.  Just like Limoncello.

At Limoncello we offer the full range of Malfy gins: classic; con Limone (lemon); Rosa (pink grapefruit); and con Arancia (blood orange).

The classic is a good solid London Dry Gin, on the floral side with slightly piney and herbaceous notes complementing the juniper.  It makes for an excellent Gin & Tonic garnished with rosemary.

The lemon gin boasts peel from both Amalfi and Sicilian lemons in it’s mix of botanicals, giving it a full and zest lemony flavour.  Almost like a cross between gin and limoncello (the liqueur), and makes an excellent Tom Collins.

Meanwhile the Rosa, flavoured with Sicilian pink grapefruit, walks the tricky path of tasting of both juniper and grapefruit without one overwhelming the other or resulting in a chemical tang.  Along with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice it makes for an exquisite Grapefruit Collins.

And finally the bold an uncompromising blood orange makes an awesome base for an interesting Negroni.

Drop into Limoncello sometime to give any or all of them a try.