Gemelli di Gragnano at a glance
Gemelli - Italian for twins - are a short pasta of two strands twisted together into a tight spiral, made in Gragnano by Pastificio Di Martino. Bronze-drawn from durum wheat semolina and carrying the IGP (PGI) mark of Pasta di Gragnano, they have a satisfying chew and grip sauce along every twist. Supplied in 500 g packs, 12 to a carton.
What Pasta di Gragnano IGP is
Pasta di Gragnano IGP is a protected pasta made in Gragnano, near Naples, the town that has been Italy's pasta capital since the 16th century. By specification it is made only from durum wheat semolina and local water, bronze-drawn and dried slowly at low temperature - the method that gives it its rough, porous surface and superior cooking quality.
Origin
Gragnano sits on the Sorrento peninsula in Campania, where the sea breeze and mountain air once dried pasta in the open street. The town earned its IGP in 2013, recognising centuries of know-how.
The producer
Pastificio Di Martino has made pasta in Gragnano since 1912. Four generations on, it remains one of the most respected names of the Gragnano tradition, combining selected durum wheat, bronze dies and slow drying.
Why bronze-drawn matters
Extruding the dough through bronze dies, rather than Teflon, leaves the surface rough and porous. That texture grips sauce instead of letting it slide off - the difference between pasta that merely holds sauce and pasta that marries it.
Technical specifications
Made from durum wheat semolina and water. 500 g packs, 12 per carton. Contains gluten. Store in a cool, dry place. Average values per 100 g (dry): about 357 kcal, 1.5 g fat, 13 g protein, 71 g carbohydrate.
How to cook and use
Cook in plenty of salted boiling water and drain al dente. The twisted shape suits light to medium sauces - pesto alla genovese, cherry tomato and basil, sausage and cream, or vegetable sautes - and works equally well warm or in pasta salads. Finish in the pan with a little pasta water.
Pairings
Pesto, cherry tomato, courgette and other vegetables, sausage, ricotta, or simply good olive oil and Parmigiano.
Storage and delivery
Store in a cool, dry place away from light. LAPA delivers across Switzerland - to restaurants, pizzerias, hotels and Italian delis in Zurich, Bern, Geneva and beyond - six days a week and with no minimum order.
Who it is for
Restaurants and trattorias that want a genuine Gragnano IGP pasta, plus home cooks who care about real Italian texture and flavour.
