Pastificio Benedetto Cavalieri, a name a guarantee

It was 1918 when Benedetto Cavalieri, the founder, inaugurated the mill and pasta factory in Via Garibaldi 64, in the heart of Maglie, a town in the Salento hinterland. The mill was then abandoned in the 1950s because the volumes were not large enough to guarantee the necessary investments to modernize the facilities and the family preferred to devote itself exclusively to what it does best, that is, the processing of durum wheat to make pasta. Today the brand is an excellence of made in Puglia, the history of the family is connected to the territory, some types such as "spaghettoni" and "ruote pazze" have become a real cult, they are appreciated and sought after both in fine dining and by gourmets, each package entices you to open the next. What makes the difference is the texture of the dough which infuses character, ensures recognizability, meatiness, consistency and permeability to condiments. The difference between a good pasta and an excellent one lies in the test with evo oil after having drained it, try it to believe. 

 

Andrea Cavalieri is the last descendant of the dynasty of pasta makers, he joined the company in 2007 after graduating. 

 

DoctorWine: How do you live your activity?

 

Andrea Cavalieri: I do a great job: it is an honor, not a burden since there is passion; the business is part of our family nucleus and I carry it on with the enthusiasm and rigor that characterizes us. 

 

DW: How did all this come about?

 

AC: My great-grandfather was originally from Fasano, he was a merchant, he dealt with the purchase and sale of hard grains, spices and matches in the countries of the Mediterranean basin. The ports of Gallipoli and Otranto were strategically located for his activities, that's why the factory was born in Maglie. 

 

DW: Your beginning and your today.

AC: My inclusion was a slow and natural process. Since I was a child I breathed in the scent of wheat, I enjoyed hiding in the seed bowl, I loved discovering the varieties, origins, qualities, yields and their chewability. With commitment, perseverance and patience we are carrying on the generational transition, it is the merit of two people not one. My father Benedetto has been our pool of knowledge and expertise for over forty years. 

 

DW: Can you explain what you mean by delicate workmanship?

 

AC: "Delicate" is the name of the processing method designed and developed ad hoc, it is based on a prolonged kneading, slow gramolatura, bronze pressing and drawing and drying at low temperature. It safeguards the complete preservation of the nutritional values of durum wheat. From the kneading machine, the dough is automatically pushed by a press against a die, gently to avoid the mechanical destruction of gluten and carbohydrates. For each format, there is a die with many holes. We still use those made of special bronze alloys with many funnel-shaped milled dough chambers for each exit hole. Through these holes the dough takes on the most varied shapes, there are 38 shapes in total including: spaghetti, penne, rings, fusilli, pennucce, gramigna, barley seeds and so on.

DW. What makes your pasta more palatable?

 

AC: There are two lines, one made from durum wheat semolina and the other from whole durum wheat, the milling process is whole wheat and not by bran reintegration. The result is a product with better digestibility with the bran, the bran and the germ inside. 

 

DW: Is your talk of quality well received?

 

AC: The parterre of consumers is increasing, in the weekend they want to gratify themselves with a quality product, a bit like wine. Sixty percent of our production is destined for the domestic market, the remainder is exported to Europe, Japan and Australia. We are in the places where quality is appreciated.

 

Since 2005, the pasta factory has been a teaching unit of the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo and is attended by students from the 5 continents who come to follow the thematic internships on pasta.