The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-09-11
NUMBER ~


One OF the industries carried on In
the Italian quarter of One Hundred
and Twelfth street Is the manufacture
Of macaroni. Fifteen workmen are
employed. The work is done in q
rear room on the second floor. When
o reporter called the other day the pro-
prietor, who is round-faced' Neapoli-
tan, said:
1--WE use the -four from hard winter
wheat, and the best we can get of its
kind. We pour the flour into these
tubs and put in about one gallon of
water to thirty pounds of flour. We
do not measure it; the men let in lit
tie water, and they know when the
dough is right. P"
Two men were leaning over the tube
that had apparently been put into the
room by the builder for wash-tubs.
Thay allowed tina water tn rim sIowly
from the faucets into the mixture Of
flour, all the time stirring, lifting,
punching, and, pulling it with their
hands as If death awaited their first
stop to rest.
1T is very exhausting work." said
the boss. ''When they can work no
longer two others, who are resting in
the next room, will take their places.
They shift as often as every hour some
days. When 1t is thoroughly mixed
the dough is kneaded on the table"
The table was big stout one, built
on the opposite side Of the room. Two
long levers projected over it, the ends
OF which were loosely fastened to the
wall short distance above the table
by stout swivels. Round blocks, like
pestles, were suspended under the lev
ers. The dough, in huge patches, was
placed Under the levers, and then three
men took hold of each lover, adjusted
the pestles over the dough, and threw
their weight on them. They worked
the levers in short arcs or circles, and
their exertions made dough at once
stiff and hard, and yet withal very
tough and tenacious.
'.How do you make it into stringsp"
"That is easy. See."
Some men were placing huge loaf
Of the dough into vertical copper CYL
inder with strong screw above it, the
machine looking something like an old
fashioned hand cider-press. On top of
the dough the men placed piston that
fit the cylinder nicely, and then they
ran the screw down on it. They then
clapped hold of three long levers and
began to walk around, but they did not
walk rapidly nor easily. When the
screw began to get a good hold, little
slender streams OF dough shot down
through small perforations in the bot
tom OF the cylinders. AS fast as they
reached length of two feet or more
they were cut of by q man who hung
them over wooden frames and carried
them away.
I'VE dry them on those frames eight
days." said the boss. when the air
is moist We dry them longer. Big holes
in the cylinders make macaroni; little
holes vermecilli. Sometimes it Is roll
cd thin like sheet of paper, and cut
with razors into different shapes. We
call the pieces semdza di meioni, or
what you call melon seed; capelle.ti-
little hats, and occhi di perntci-part-
ridge eye, according to the shapes.
These are used to thicken soup, but we
do not make much of them. The mac
aroni has the largest sale, but only
Italians can cook ii. 1t is easy to say
boil IL In pure water, dress it with con-
centrated meat gravy and grated
cheese, and serve it hot, but who can
do itp In Genoa the macaroni is COL
ored with saffron. Neapolitans use on
ly pure flour and pure water. When
Neapolitan macaroni is cooked by an
Italian it has very faint greenish
tinge. In Italy the king, the lazzaroni
all eat macaroni every day. You should
see them. Zobini, there at the tub, he
can swallow macaroni three feet long
and never break il. No man can do SO
well in this building. II Zobini were
in his own country he would be ia
nous man, but he would have no gravy
nor cheese with his macaroni, so he
stays here. "-NeW York Sun.