What makes Senatore Cappelli pasta different?
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Spaghetti alla Chitarra · Senatore Cappelli Pasta
View productWhat the grain brings to the pasta
In an article for Alce Nero, nutritionist Renata Alleva puts the protein content of Cappelli wheat at around 12–15% and highlights its B vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, potassium and zinc. For me, the most interesting comparison with modern durum wheat is the mix of polyphenols, compounds that occur naturally in plants. Research on old and modern Italian wheats suggests that their total polyphenol levels can be similar, while older varieties such as Cappelli can have a wider variety of these compounds.
How the wheat is milled and shaped matters too. Whole-wheat pasta retains the bran and germ, so two pastas made from the same variety can differ in fibre and other nutrients. In one study, researchers detected polyphenols and flavonoids in Senatore Cappelli pasta and found that the long and short shapes they tested gave different glycaemic index results. The wheat variety tells you where the pasta starts. The finished pack tells you what you’re buying.
| What to look for | What the sources found |
|---|---|
| Protein | About 12–15% in the wheat grain, according to nutritionist Renata Alleva. |
| Polyphenol diversity | Cappelli stands out for its variety of polyphenols. Research reports similar total amounts across older and modern Italian wheats, with a wider range of compounds in older varieties. |
| B vitamins | B-group vitamins are the most prominent vitamin group Alleva highlights in the grain. |
How the Colombos grow it in Molise
On the Colombo farm, the height of the wheat is part of how they manage the field. The tall crop shades some of the weeds around it. The family also rotates wheat with crops such as chickpeas and fava beans. They prepare the soil ahead of sowing so weeds can germinate first, then remove them mechanically before planting the wheat. It’s a detail I like because it shows the decisions behind a grain we usually meet as a name on a packet.
The family had grown Senatore Cappelli before they ever sold pasta. Maria told me her father took some of their grain to be milled, and her mother used it to make fresh pasta and bread at home. The family began producing pasta in 2019, starting with a whole-wheat line. Today, they stone-mill their wheat, shape the pasta through bronze dies and dry it slowly at low temperature. The bronze gives the pasta a rough surface that holds onto sauce.
For our first Cuppino selection, I chose four shapes from their semolina range. If you’re curious about the wheat itself, I’d start with spaghetti tossed with good olive oil. For a sauce with more texture, try the square-cut spaghetti alla chitarra with cherry tomatoes and basil, or let wide paccheri catch spoonfuls of ragù. Penne rigate is the one I’d open for arrabbiata.