Fusilli Napoletani

Fusilli napoletani from Greenomic Delikatessen from Campania

Fusilli napoletani from Greenomic Delikatessen are short spirals made of Italian durum wheat semolina, pressed through bronze dies. Their twists hold onto everything that would slide off a smooth pasta, ensuring that every bite comes to your fork seasoned.

Fusilli napoletani are the twisted pasta from the Good Hair Day range, which Greenomic Delikatessen has produced in Campania. In the 500-gram box, you will find short spirals with a matte, slightly floury surface, and the hairstyle motif on the front explains the range's name.

Spirals that hold the sauce

Dry to the touch, the pasta feels rough and does not shine, as the bronze die finely roughens the surface during pressing. This is exactly what every sauce clings to later, instead of pooling at the bottom of the plate.

When cooked, the core remains noticeably firm because coarsely ground durum wheat contains plenty of gluten, supporting the twist from the inside. In the mouth, you first experience the seasoning caught in the grooves, followed by the grain itself, clear and simply tasting of wheat.

This restraint in its natural flavor is the reason why this shape is so versatile. A meat ragù finds as much hold in it as a spoonful of pesto, a piece of sausage, or leftover vegetables from the day before.

For robust sauces and oven bakes

Cook the fusilli for eleven to thirteen minutes in plenty of boiling salted water, as the densely twisted spirals take longer than a smooth tube. Toss them briefly in the hot sauce at the end so that both combine.

A robust sugo from Greenomic Delikatessen is the obvious partner, as is a sauce made from salsiccia and fennel seeds. For a casserole, add them to the dish while still al dente, as they will continue to cook in the oven.

Mixed cold with vegetables, herbs, and olive oil, they do not stick together and retain their structure the next day. For a tray with ham, peas, and cheese, count on a good hundred grams per person, leaving room for dessert. Reheated in a pan with a spoonful of olive oil, the edges become even crispier.

Fuso means spindle, and that is where the twist comes from

The name leads to the spindle, fuso in Italian, used for spinning wool in the past. In Southern Italy, strips of dough were wrapped around a thin iron rod, the ferretto, and pulled off after drying. To this day, some families in Southern Italy still hand-roll their fusilli this way.

What remained was a pasta with a hollow center and a screw-like twist, and it is exactly this look that the bronze die mimics to this day. Campania is one of the regions where short shapes have always dominated the kitchen.

The addition of napoletani points to Naples, where the pasta tends to be shorter and thicker rather than long and fine. Greenomic Delikatessen has them produced where the durum wheat is right at home.

One box, two evenings

Five hundred grams is enough for five plates, and if you cook a handful more, your bowl for the office is already ready for the next day. That is precisely why this shape stays at the front of many kitchens, more so than any other.

The other shapes in the range are available in the Good Hair Day Pasta collection, and you can find what else Greenomic Delikatessen brings from the south in the durum wheat semolina pasta section.