How De Cecco pasta is made
Five steps, one uncompromising standard — the way the family has made pasta since 1886.
Quick answer
De Cecco pasta is made by selecting the best durum wheat, milling our own coarse-grain semolina (only ~65 kg from every 100 kg of wheat), kneading with pure Maiella mountain water below 15°C, drawing through bronze plates for a rough surface, and slow drying at low temperature for 9 to 36 hours. The method was perfected in 1889 and has not changed in spirit since.
| Semolina yield | ~65 kg per 100 kg wheat (quality, not quantity) |
|---|---|
| Water | Maiella mountain spring, below 15°C |
| Drawing | Traditional bronze plates |
| Drying | 9–36 hours at low temperature |
| Since | 1889 (low-temp drying invented) |
Five steps. One standard.
Choosing the wheat
We select the best durum wheat — Italian for flavour, North American for protein strength — inspecting it in the field and testing it in the lab to standards stricter than the law requires. The owners still perform a manual gluten test.
Milling in-house
We grind the grain gently in our own mill and take only the heart of it — about 65 kg of coarse semolina from every 100 kg of wheat, where many take 80. Quality, not quantity.
Cold mountain water
Pure spring water flows from the Maiella mountains directly into production, kept below 15°C for a slow, gentle knead that respects the gluten network.
Bronze drawing
We draw the dough through traditional bronze plates, so every piece comes out rough and porous — the surface that holds onto sauce.
Slow drying
Finally, we dry the pasta slowly at low temperature — 9 to 36 hours depending on the shape — preserving the wheat's flavour, aroma and true al dente bite.
You can taste the patience.
Industrial pasta is dried fast and hot, and pushed through smooth dies. It is quicker and cheaper — and it shows. Our slower, gentler method costs us time and yield, but it gives the pasta a rougher surface, a deeper wheat flavour, and a bite that holds at the table.
That is the whole point of De Cecco: doing it the right way, not the fast way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the De Cecco method?
Choosing the best durum wheat, milling our own coarse semolina, kneading with cold mountain water, drawing through bronze plates, and slow drying at low temperature for 9–36 hours.
Why does bronze drawing matter?
Bronze plates leave the pasta rough and porous, so sauce clings to it. Smooth industrial dies make slick pasta that sheds sauce.
Why slow drying?
Drying slowly at low temperature protects the wheat's natural flavour, aroma and colour, and gives the pasta its firm al dente bite.
Taste the difference patience makes.
Find De Cecco in more than 100 countries, or get in touch with our team.