Maccheroncini di Campofilone

Maccheroncini di Campofilone are a dried egg pasta with an EU protected geographical indication (PGI, Italian IGP), made only in the municipality of Campofilone in the province of Fermo, Marche. They are extremely fine strands of rolled egg dough.

The pasta is made from eggs and either durum wheat semolina or common wheat flour. Between 7 and 10 eggs go into each kilogram of semolina or flour – at least 33% – markedly more than in other types of pasta. The eggs must come from barn hens fed only on non-GMO cereals and contain no synthetic pigments; the semolina must have at least 12.5% protein and the flour at least 10%.

The strands are 35–60 cm long, 0.8–1.2 mm wide and 0.3–0.7 mm thick. Kneading, rolling the sheets, cutting and drying all take place in Campofilone. The freshly cut strands are laid on sheets of white paper 22–26 by 32–35 cm, 155–175 g per sheet, the edges are folded up and the sheets are dried on racks, then boxed in the factory so the fragile strands do not break.

Because the dough is so thin, the pasta cooks in about one minute in boiling water or directly in the sauce. The tradition comes from village women who cut the dough very finely so that it would not break while drying; the speciality is mentioned as early as the 15th century and was listed in the Touring Club Italiano's gastronomic guide of 1931.

The pack must show 'Maccheroncini di Campofilone indicazione geografica protetta' and the EU symbol; the name is untranslatable.