Durum Wheat Presented by Justin Salberg Origins Abyssinia Archaeological Evidence Modern Day Ethiopia 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 Land used for grazing or occasional growing Flexible Semi-arid Could now produce significant yields Expansion of rural settlements High energy food Uses Pasta, pasta, pasta Base in Arab cooking Replaced some other wheat varieties for breads Gnocchi, soup, stuffings Fine grind makes flat, round breads Pilafs Couscous Why Durum? Drought resistant Can be stored for up to 60-80 years Germinability Little to no energy lost in protein conversion Export crop 3-5 years; 30 years under best conditions Primarily used for human consumption Low water content 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 Most mills wouldn’t accept it Early 1800s 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 TorZo Wheat straw Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service Purcell Mountain Farms Homegrown Harvest Rustichella d’Abruzzo 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