The beauty of Italian food lies in its simplicity, and nothing symbolises this quite like pasta. Consider the simplicity of pasta itself – with the briefest of time in boiling salted water, it becomes an incredible vehicle for a huge range of dishes. Not necessarily just Italian classics like Spaghetti alla carbonara and Pasta amatriciana, but even more adventurous combinations, like Leyla Kazim’s Halloumi pasta with lemon and mint.
If you find yourself tucking into a plate of pasta anywhere in the world, there’s a pretty good chance that it has been made by Barilla – the family has been making pasta since 1877, and the Barilla name has been a hallmark for top quality pasta ever since. Not only are they the largest pasta producer in the world today, they’re also a bastion for the safeguarding of Italian food culture. In 2004, the family set up Academia Barilla – a project devoted to celebrating and promoting said culture.
A few years later in 2011, Barilla held the first ever World Pasta Championships, bringing talented young chefs together from all over the world to compete. Last year, I was lucky enough to be one of the judges and was amazed by the range of dishes that were presented by the chefs. It was clear that pasta changes as it travels and is adapted by different cuisines. While different chefs brought elements to their dishes that were unexpected (examples included curry powder and wasabi), they all treated the pasta with great respect. This year’s competition is the sixth of its kind, and takes place from the 26 to 28 September in Milan and Parma.