The record-union., 1894-06-16
MACARONI MAKING.
Homemade Product Better Than
That of Italy.
Interesting Description of the Process
of Manufacture in
New York.

| 1t will probably surprise most of the
people who read this to know that almost
all of the macaroni consumed in the
| United States is manufactured in a four
! story brick building on the west side.
Our grandfathers never ate spaghetti,
vermicelli, macroni and dishes of that
sort They are always spoken of in con-
nection with the CUISINE of the Italian
race. But the Italians are not directly
responsible for their widespread popu-
larity IN this country. The table Phote
restaurants introduced them some ten or
more years ago. and as nearly everybody
goes to table d'hote occasionally, and
the American palate took liking To the
| Italian dishes, it is easy to understand
how they came into general use.
In Italy macaroni is the staff of life.
Here it is side dish. In Italy hundred
different forms of macaroni are made.
In the New York factory only three are
made, unless a special order is sent in.
The macaroni factory is an odd and in
teresting place. On the first floor there
/ is a great pile of bags filled with -four,
! and number of machines, which look as
if they might have figured conspicuously
in a nediaeval torture exhibition. Only
the hardest varieties of wheat are used for
macaroni. because they have the most
! gluten, and the gluten is of great service
! in giving the dough hrmnesS. One-fourLh
part of water is added to a quantity OF
| fiour in an iron acorn-shaped vessel. a
set of whirling paddles in a quarter of an
hour completely mikes the combination
| into dough.
| Then follows the kneading, the dough
/ being placed in an iron pan shaped like
| nh hON tho hptfnnl n hiab
consists of a series of grooves radiating
! from the center. TW o heavy, cone-Shaped
wheels, with grooves which tit into those
of the pan, are revolved rapidly in oppo-
site directions, and in half hour the
steam power does the work more thor
| oughly than the hands OF score OF cooks
could in days time After kneading
comes the hardening. The dough is laid
in strip SIX or eight inches in width
and four or i've inches in thickness,
around the outer edge OF second circu-
lar pan, and circular stone weighing
some two tons is rolled over it for three
quarters of an hour.
| The dough is then placed in the
presses, which are shaped like cider
| presses. A pressure OF 1000 pounds to
the square inch is applied by means of
| screw, which lowers the iron cylinder
little by little as the white strings issue
from the hundred little holes in the brass
bottom of the press. The attendant
reaches his hand around them every two
or three minutes, and draws them out
upon the white board on the floor, so that
they look very much like. lady's train.
Each bunch of strings is from eight to
ten feet long, and so hard is the dough
that none OF the strings ever stick to-
gether as they leave the press, thing
which would astound the average Amer
lean housewife. The strings are now laid
tol,l I'D if1fn he of
two feet.
The hollows in the strings are made in
this way. There is bridge across each
one of the tables, which supports circu-
lar piece of brass that fits into the holes,
being the same size as the hole IN the
macaroni, and leaving space between it
and the walls OF the hole equal (at the
bottom of the cyllnder) TO the thickness
of the walls of the string of macaroni. As
the space through which the dough must
pass is a little smaller at the bottom than
at the top, the heavy pressure forms the
dough into q complete circle before 1t
leaves the press. If you look carefully at
piece of macaroni you will observe that
| there is a seam in it. This indicates
where the walls were welded together.
| Unless macaroni is well made, twist OF
the stiff string before it is cooked will
split open this seam.
Next the scene of action is transferred
to the second floor. Here one sees layers
upon layers of racks reaching from the
bottom TO the top OF the room and num-
Der of young women engaged in straight
ening out the strings, so that they may
lie upon the racks as nicely and evenly az
cigars in box. The sides Of the racks
. are about four inches high, and the racks
slip into their grooves as easily as {
drawer is calculated to slip into bureau
The bottoms of the racks are covered
81. =. 81 kN.no
brown paper before the macaronl is lal(
9 in, when even a greater number of thick
nesses is laid over it.
1t is absolutely necessary to keep ou
the air in order to have the macaroni dr..
well, which requires from six to eigh
days. Occasionally a string is broker
and the remains are returned to the lowe
floor to be kneaded again. The third ant
fourth floors are also devoted to the dry
ing.
An old Frenchman presides as chef q
the factory, although macaroni and tn
making OF it are commonly considered t.
belong to the Italians exclusively. Mos
of the hands are Italians. The oil
Frenchman has a little office in one cor
ner of the second floor, where he mike
the chemicals by which the colored mac
aroni (which has become quite popula
in this country is tinted. When the oil
gentleman was asked of what degree c
temperature he kept the drying-room
replied:
"Ah! 1 have been in the business YER
long. 1 know when it is the right tenn
perature by instinct. If it is warm da
l turn off the steam a little. If col
wind comes up from the river turn it o
little more. do not need any thei
mometer, Monsieur. / can tell just q
soon as L step into the room if it is to
hot or too cold"
This factory teaches its own little lesso
in American enterprise. In Europe maca
roni is made almost wholly by hand.
Italy even the tiinty portions of the whes
are sifted out by series of hand sieve:
Even the pressing is done by hand. Thos
who have been in Naples or other Italia
towns have doubtless seen the macaror
hanging upon poles under the shade {
the houses to dry.
Americans think that the American
made macaroni is the best. So do MOS
Italians who live here. A great man
Mulberry street housewives make thei
own spaghetti, rolling out the strings o
a bread -board.-New York World.