Spaghetti No. 7 – made from Senatore Cappelli

Spaghetti No. 7 made from Senatore Cappelli king grain

These Spaghetti No. 7 from Azienda Guerrieri are made from Senatore Cappelli, an almost forgotten durum wheat variety from 1915 with stalks up to 2 meters tall. Bronze-drawn and dried over rods, the pasta strands reach around 50 cm in length and retain a slight curve – a hallmark of genuine craftsmanship.

Spaghetti No. 7 from Senatore Cappelli by Azienda Guerrieri is a long, round pasta made from a historic durum wheat variety grown on the family's fields in the province of Pesaro and Urbino. Agronomist Nazareno Strampelli selected Senatore Cappelli in 1915, naming it after the senator who funded his grain research. The pasta is crafted in collaboration with a pasta factory in Fano that has been producing by hand for over 40 years.

An almost forgotten wheat variety returns

Senatore Cappelli was long the dominant durum wheat variety in Italy before shorter, higher-yielding breeds displaced it starting in the 1960s. With stalks up to 2 meters high, it is drought-resistant but has a low yield – a reason why it nearly disappeared from the fields before producers like Guerrieri brought it back in recent years.

The wheat offers a high protein content and a robust, nutty flavor with a comparatively lower gluten content. On the Guerrieri family's fields, it grows under the same conditions as the durum wheat for their classic varieties, only with a significantly lower yield per hectare – a reason why the harvest of this variety on the farm is much smaller than that of standard durum wheat.

Because Senatore Cappelli is so susceptible to fluctuating yields, few farms still grow it at all. For Luca Guerrieri, this was not an obstacle but the inspiration: he wanted to preserve a variety on his farm that was standard before industrial high-yield breeding, and to find a way to process it in small quantities together with the factory in Fano.

Dried by hand over rods

The pasta production in Fano draws the dough through bronze dies and then hangs the fresh spaghetti over rods to dry, instead of mechanically cutting it to a standard length. As a result, they remain around 50 cm long after cooking and retain a slight curve from the hanging process – something you won't find in industrially cut pasta.

The rough surface created by the bronze drawing makes these spaghetti ideal for mantecare, the Italian technique of tossing the pasta directly in the pan with sauce and a little pasta water. Al dente, nutty, and aromatic, it easily withstands this final cooking stage in the pan without falling apart. Like the classic version, the 500g pack contains only 2 ingredients: Senatore Cappelli semolina and water, with absolutely no additives.

For understated sauces with plenty of character

Because the Senatore Cappelli wheat itself brings plenty of flavor, you don't need a complicated sauce: fresh tomatoes, sautéed vegetables, or shellfish are sufficient without masking the taste of the wheat.

A classic pairing is Aglio e Olio with a dash of Guerrieri ORO olive oil, accompanied by a glass of Bianco Marche Bianco IGT from the same estate. These spaghetti are even heartier with clams, white wine, and parsley – the robust pasta holds up well to the liquid.

The Guerrieri family has been farming their fields along the Metauro for around 1800 years, now in the 6th generation, and with the re-cultivation of Senatore Cappelli, they have consciously taken on an additional, more labor-intensive crop alongside their main production. For those who would like to try the classic version made from pure durum wheat, you will also find Spaghetti No. 7 made from durum wheat, as well as Penne Rigate and Strozzapreti, in the Azienda Guerrieri pasta selection. Two wheat varieties, one farm, one standard of quality.