I’m loving this macaroni from Berkelo. I was sent a sample for Whole Grain Week 2022 by the Grains Legume Nutrition Council. I cooked it up and found that it was just divine! Read on for more …

Pros

• Light in taste when cooked. The taste was sweet and nutty.
• Low in total fat 1.7 per cent and in saturated fat 0.5 per cent (see table).
•  Rich in starchy carbohydrates 55 per cent and in fibre 4 per cent (see table)
•  Low in sugars 3 per cent
•  At 4 mg per 100 grams, low in sodium (a measure of salt or sodium chloride). Anything under 400 mg sodium per 100 g is considered low. These were def low
•  Grown by Australian farmers
•  Stoneground in Gunnedah in New South Wales
•  Long fermented to improve its digestibility
•  Slowly air-dried
•  No hidden additives such as preservatives and flavours. There were no added refined sugars, fats or flours
•  Compostable plastic-free packaging so it breaks down in a friendly way at home or at a restaurant
•  Cooks in less time than they say – cooks in less than 5 minutes not the 8-10 minutes claimed on pack

Nutrition Information Panel: Sourdough Pasta Khorasan Macaroni

Serving size:  80 g (about 1 1/3 cups dried weight)        Servings per packet: 5 

Ingredients

Certified sustainable stoneground whole khorasan flour, stoneground durum wheat flour, water, sourdough starter.

Read more about Kamut or Khorasan (Triticum turanicum), an ancient form of wheat, which makes a superb pasta with a firm mouthfeel and golden colour. I really like to use it in pasta salads as it definitely doesn't go soggy or break up.

 Cons

•  Still a carbohydrate food made from grains.
• These were expensive at $8.95 for a 400 g pack (which I guess covers the cost of long fermentation plus the packaging). In contrast, regular penne pasta is cheap, at less than $3 for a 500 g pack.

Long fermentation

 Sourdough mother is simply the Berkelo “starter”, aka the mother, leaven or natural yeast. The pasta is made using traditional methods, blending Durum wheat with other varieties of wheat, water and starter. The dough is extruded and fermented followed by a long and low drying process. Fermentation is not part of the traditional method but it’s what makes this pasta so special, digestible and tasty.

The bottom line

This is a great way to up your intake of pasta. I really liked the Khorasan macaroni, less so the twists and shells which are made from other grains and look darker.

Related link

Visit the Berkelo site at https://berkelo.com.au