Pasta from other flours and gluten-free pasta

Pasta from other flours is pasta made not, or not only, from durum wheat semolina: whole wheat, spelt, buckwheat, legume, rice, corn or mixed flours. Some of these kinds still contain gluten; others are made specially for a gluten-free diet.

In the EU the claim "gluten-free" is regulated by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014: the food as sold may contain no more than 20 mg of gluten per kilogram. Under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, wheat, spelt, barley and rye must also be highlighted in the ingredient list. In Italy, dry pasta that contains ingredients other than durum wheat semolina and water is classed as "special pasta" under Decree No 187 of 2001, and its name must state those ingredients.

Whole wheat pasta is made from whole-grain durum wheat, bran and germ included, so it is darker, tastes nuttier and contains roughly two to three times as much fibre as ordinary dry durum wheat pasta. Spelt is an ancient wheat, so spelt pasta is not gluten-free. Buckwheat is not related to wheat; the best-known Italian buckwheat pasta is pizzoccheri, short flat ribbons from Valtellina made with buckwheat and wheat flour and protected as a PGI. Pasta from red lentils, chickpeas or peas contains much more protein than wheat pasta. Gluten-free pasta is usually made from rice and corn, sometimes mixed with buckwheat, quinoa or legumes.

Without gluten the dough lacks an elastic network, so producers rely on pre-cooked starch, careful drying and sometimes emulsifiers. Such pasta is more fragile and turns soft quickly if overcooked.

Cook it in plenty of boiling water, stir during the first minutes and taste a minute before the time on the packet. Pizzoccheri are traditionally boiled with potatoes and cabbage, then layered with butter, garlic, sage and cheese. People with coeliac disease should look for the words "gluten-free" on the label and use separate pots and colanders: naturally gluten-free buckwheat or corn can pick up wheat during milling and processing.