Fileja

Fileja are a Calabrian pasta shaped as long, twisted tubes made from durum wheat semolina and water. They are a traditional handmade fresh pasta that is also produced as dry durum wheat pasta.

A small piece of dough is rolled around a thin rod and stretches into a long hollow tube with a slight spiral twist. Fileja are usually about 10 to 20 cm long; they are longer and more open than the tight spirals of busiate.

The name is linked to a Calabrian word for the thin rod on which the dough is rolled; forms such as filej or filatieddi are used in different villages. The home of the shape is Calabria, especially the province of Vibo Valentia.

The dough is made from durum wheat semolina and water, sometimes with a little soft wheat flour. It is rolled into ropes and cut, then a rod is laid on each piece and rolled with the palms across the board until the dough wraps it in a thin layer. Finally the rod is pulled out.

Fresh fileja cook in 5–7 minutes, dry ones in about 12–15 minutes. The hollow centre fills with sauce, so the pasta soaks it up well.

Classically, fileja are served with a spicy tomato sauce with 'nduja, a soft spicy spreadable pork sausage, with pork or goat ragù, and with red onion. Grated pecorino is often added on top.

When buying dry fileja, check that the ingredients are only semolina and water and that the tubes are whole and rough. Uneven lengths are a normal sign of hand production.