El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-12
American MacarOni Best
American Manufacturers Excel the
Italians in Making the Deli
cate Paste Product.
ILWAUKEE. WIS. June T.

served upon american tables Is i'm
ported from Italy. As a matter of
fact, tho manufacture OF macaroni in
the United States is becoming an i'm
portant industry and soon win assume
a recognized position among American
exports. The National Association of
Macaroni and Noodle Manufacturers Of
America nov is meeting in annual con-
yentiOn in Milwaukee. This orgauIza-
tiOn has rapidly increased IN member
ship and Importance since its firsT H.
yenIon was held in Pittsburg in 1909.
II now has representatives In almost
every state,
Tariff Cut Opposed.
Inc TACT Lnat congress has been
considering reducing the present tariff
duty of one and One-half cents a pound
upon macarOni and other edible pastes
may have an influence upon the
growth OF the macarOni trade and has
( given the tariff prominent place
upon the program OF the convention,
A committee already has appeared be-
fore the ways and means committee
or congress TO protest against this re-
. udc'ic H. Al present the macarOni in
dustry is not controlled by any sort Of
trust or combination. Each manu-
facturer makes and markets his prod
ucts as he sees fit which places each
factory upon highly competitive
basis,
Although supposedly Of Italian orig
IN IN reality the use of such paste
foods as macarOni dates back before
/, the time of the ancient Greeks. The
story is told that a prehistoric woman
was mixing bread when a quantity
of leaves from an Overhanging tree
fell into her dough She pressed the
dough through coarse sieve to eN-
tract the leaves and conceived the idea
OF letting the thin sticks of dough
lnuS made dry IN the sun instead OF
baking the mass into cakes upon hot
NnaL Hra
new culinary process was so success
1ul that il increased in popular favor.
Larger and stronger sleeves were made
and at first huge stones were used TO
give the pressure to force the dough
out through the holes. From this crude
sieve has developed the various ma
chimes used To-Day In the manufacture
OF the paste products In China also
the use of a food prepared from glutin-
GUS wheat and similar in composition
70 macaroni. has been general from
prehistoric time The noodles eaten
with such relish by Americans who
visit Chinese restaurants are of such
ancient origin that no record Of their
beginning remains. The Chinese cook
rolls them with a peculiar motion and
cuts them into yard lengths with his
long triangular knife after the fashi IN
Of the cooks of the earliest dynasties
Made Of Durum Wheat
Inc Italian pasres and those OF the
best grades OF American factories are
wheat, which differs materially in
quality from other wheat The depart
ment Of agriculture has been expert
meuting with durumN wheat in this
country since 1864. but the earlier ef-
forts Of Introduction We're unsuccess-
Iul- In l6so specialist was sent by
the department TO Russia in search
OF urouLh resisting cereals for the
dry lands Of the western states. A
number OF varieties were obtained,
among them the kubanka and the
N - 60 D.
The aurum varieties are all spring
Wheats. but differ materially from
oLner spring Wneats in size and in the
character of both plant and grain.
The plant is taHer than the common
wheat, has wider leaves and generally
natures earlier. The heads are broad
er and more compact and usually
shorter. The boards are exceptionalIv
long and stiff which. with the shape
or the head, often cause the plant TO
pc mistaken Tor barley by those not
familiar with the grain. The grains
are large and hard as indicated by
very hard This wheat is generally
clear amber In color instead OF the
reddish shade of most other wheats.
me durum Wheats are less subject to
smut and rust and more drOuth re-
SlSIlns than other wheat because they
nave grown for centuries in countries
subject TO severe drOUths.
Largely a Dakota Product.
About 81 percent of the durum wheat
grown in this country is raised i'm
North and South Dakota. Minnesota
ranks third, producing about per
cent Of the entire crop and practically
all of the remaining 3 or percent is
raised in Nebraska. Kansas Colorado.
wyoming and Montapa- At first the
price Of durum wheat was lower than
for other varieties and farmers We're
unwilling TO cultivate IL. especially
as the stiff, hard beard made it IN
Pheasant TO handle Recently, how
y HerN hos "a
until on April 10 last durum wheat
sold at ii cents premium over No. Z
northern wheat In Minneapolis. and at
IL cents premium in Duluth The \
increase in value is due to the fact
that the demand for macaroni and
other paste products has increased. The
durUm wheat raised in this country
not only supplies the American manu-
facturer of these food products. but
also is being shipped to Europe in
large quantities to supply the lack
Process Is Simple.
The process is comparatively sim
pie The durum wheat is first ground
into coarse sort of flour known as
seminole This is mixed with hot
water into stiff dough In American
factories, as well as in the modern
Il1lf1u establishments. this is done BY
a mixing machine similar to that used
IN modern bakeries. In the early days
IN Italy this dough was mixed by hand
by the operators The dough in Amer
lea is kneaded in a second machine
with heavy rollers and passed into a
third machine where IL is rolled into
long thin sheets and then pressed into
rolls about three feet long and a foot
in diameter These rolls are placed !
In cylinder having a perforated plate
at the bottom with wires suspended in
each perfOration If macarOnf is in
tended Pressure is then applied and
the dough is forced through these
orifices into long hollow tubes. their
diameter varying according TO the size
OF the perforatlOns in the bottom OF
the cylinder
The macaroni in most popular de-
mand is from an eighth to a half inch
In diameter Some is made as much as
an inch in diameter and its size varies
from that to the thread-like prOpOr-
tons Of Vermicell. The same paste
is used for all and i'm addition TO these
there are small figures cut out of thin
sheets of the dough. which are known
as 'pasties' in Italy, and are popular
for use in soups While all italian
macaroni has been made Of durum
wheat the cheaper American products I
at first were manufactured of other I
wheat partly because the durum wheat J
until recently was not so easy 10 OBJ
tain The product of other wheat is
pasty and lighter in color than the :
best macarOni and is not so nutritious. (
The characteristics Of good macarOn3 /
should be rich creamy cOlOring with I