"Enriched Macaroni Product" is what you will see on the packages of most brands of pasta. These enrichment's include niacin, ferrous lactate, thiamine mono nitrate (Vitamin B1), riboflavin and folic acid.
There is no doubt these additions can change the flavor of pasta and a reason we, in the USA, cover our pastas with way too much sauce. We're looking for flavor!
The Italian tradition teaches from a very young age to enjoy the taste of pasta and it's the main reason you don't see heavy sauce applications in Italy.
Their ingredients: durum wheat semolina and water, or as it says on the packages of Fabbri pasta and Di Martino, semolina di grano duro and acqua. "Now that's Italian"!
Bert & Francesca from Pastificio Di Martino / Pic from my July 7th, 2014 Fancy Food Show
These laws are now becoming a bit more relaxed, however if you want the true taste packaged Italian pasta the way it was meant to be, you'll have to do some searching for the products that don't say "enriched macaroni product" on the box. According to some I spoke with at the show, they are coming.
We shall see!
Follow up today, March 12th, 2016
At the NYC Fancy Food Show in 2014, I learned that the pasta manufacturers in Italy were making a push, along with the importers, to get the Un-enriched pastas into the USA.
See July 7th, 2014 Fancy Food Show entry.
Bottom line...Sooooo many other products we buy that are not pastas are enriched with the same vitamins. Although these vitamins individually are good for you in moderation...they become not good for you if all these other products we buy are 'enriched' the same way!
Mangia Baby!
