Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-12
MACARONI AND NOODLES.
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

| III BY Frederic j. daSkln.
! Most people have an idea that macaroni
! IS distinctly Italian food product and
| that the macaroni served upon American
/ tables is imported from Italy. As a mat
| ter of fact the manufacture of macaroni
| in the United States Is becoming an in-
| portant industry and soon will assume
recognized position among American ex-
ports The National Association of Mac
aron and Noodle Manufacturers OF
America now is meeting in annual con-
vention i'm Milwaukee. This organization
has rapidly increased in membership and
Importance since its first convention was
held in Pittsburg in 1904. 1t now has
representatives in almost every state. Its
objects are to promote the best interests
of the paste products trade by elevating
it through the application of science and
advanced practices of manufacture. by
assisting manufacturers in securing
skilled and experienced operatives and
by securing every protection possible for
the development of the business.
The fact that Congress has been con-
siderins reducing the present tariff duty
of one and one-half cents pound upon
MAYA olii anu OlneI S0lDle pdSteS may
have an influence upon the growth OF the
macdronl trade and has given the tariff
prominent place upon the program of
the convention. y committee already has
appeared before the ways and means
committee of Congress to protest against
this reduction. At present the macaroni
| industry is not controlled by any sort of
trust Or combination. Each manufact-
urer makes and markets his product as
he sees fit. which places every factory
upon highly cOnnptif,Te
!: ::
Although supposedly of Italian origin
| in reality the use of such paste foods as
. m a caroni
| Use Dates Back dates back
Before Ancient Greeks. ,,ms - th hs
ancient Greeks. The story is told that a.
prehistoric woman was mixing bread
when quantity of leaves from an over
| hanging tree fell into her dough She
pressed the dough through a coarse sieve
| to extract the leaves and conceived the
idea of letting the thin sticks of dough
thus made dry in the sun instead of bals-
ing the mass into cakes upon hot stones.
| as had been her method
The new culinary process was en- sn,-
| cesSful that it increased in popIilar favor
| Larger and stronger sleeves were made
and at first huge stones were used to give
tne pressure to force the dough out
| through the holes From this crude sieve
! have developed the various machines used
To-Day In the manufacture of the paste
products. In China, also the use of a
food prepared from glutinous wheat and
similar in composition to macaroni, has
7 Deen general from prehistoric time The
noodles eaten with such relish by Ameri-
| cans who visit Chinese restaurants are
| OF such ancient origin that no record re-
mains OF their beginning. The Chinese
COOK rolls them with a peculiar motion
and cuts them into yard lengths with his
| long, triangular knife after the fashion of
the cooks of the earliest dynasties.
Inc Italian pastes and those of
the best grades of American fac
tories are manufactured exclusively
or durum wheat. which differs ma !?
| terially In quality from other wheat.
The Department of Agriculture has
| been experimenting with durunl wheat
| in this country since 1854, but the earlier
| efforts Of introduction were unsuccessful.
| In 1898 a specialist was sent by the de-
/ par1ment to Russia in search of drought
| resisting cereals for the dry lands of
| the western states. A number Of varie-
| ties were obtained, among them the Ku-
! banka and the Arnautka. which have
proved superior. The durum varieties are
| all spring wheats. but differ materially
| from other spring wileats In size and I'm
thO NAoi atSCi vi DOtl pant ana gram.
x ::
| The plant is taller than the common
| wheat, has wider leaves and generally
m a. u S
Plant Is Harder earlier The
Than Common Wheat hr e ns and Z
more compact. and usually shorter. The
hao,
which. with the shape of the head. often
cause the plant to be mistaken for barley
by those not familiar with the grain The
srainsc are large and hard. as indicated
by the name. the word "durum'' meaning
very hard. This wheat is generally clear
amber in color instead of the reddish
shade of most other wheats. The durum
wheats are less subject to smut and rust
and more drought resisting than other
wheat because they have grown for cen
turtles in countries subject to severe
droughts.
About 81 per cent of the durum wheat
grown in this country is raised in North
and South Dakota. Minnesota ranks
third. producing about Z per cent of the
entire crop. and practically all Of the re-
manning or per cent is raised in Ne
oraska, Kansas. Colorado, Wyoming and
Montana. At first the price OF durum
wheat was lower than for other va
rieties and farmers were unwilling to
| cultivate it, especially the stiff, hard
beard made ii unpleasant to handle. Re-
Gently. however the market value has
increased until April II last. durum
wheat sold at 6lt cents premium over
| No. northern wheat in Minneapolis and
| sia cents premium in Duluth. The in
! crease in value is due to the fact that
| the demand for macaron and other
paste products has increased. The durum
wheat raised in this country not only
! supplies the American manufacturer Of
| these food products. but also is being
| shipped. to Europe in large quantities to
| supply the lack there
The manufacture of maca roni and kim
| dred foods is comparatively simple
| process which. until recently, was per
| formed with rather crude machinery, a
| large part of the work being done by
| hand with little regard for sanitary pre-
| cautions,
| :.
| From the beginning the American
manufacturers used high-grade ma
ch inery and
Americans Use their products
Best Of Machinery. trem s saotor Ias
dA1 coy,{-