"It tastes like cardboard." That was my lovely wife's assessment the last time I served whole wheat pasta. My teenage son didn't like it any better, and, I must confess, I wasn't crazy about it myself.
I chose penne rigate of a reputable brand -- DeCecco, whose refined-flour pasta is consistently excellent -- and carefully followed the package directions. Yet I found the results unappetizing. The flavor was decidedly bitter. The texture was strangely crumbly: the pasta disintegrated into small, faintly slippery morsels when chewed.
With some tomato sauce, I was able to choke it down, but I really didn't enjoy it. I had better luck using it as a base for a flavorful dish of sautéed chicken thighs with peppers and onions, but it still wasn't nearly as good as conventional pasta.
Here's the strange thing: I've had whole wheat pasta in a couple of different restaurants, and it tasted better than what I made at home. Now I think I know why. I looked closely at another brand of whole grain pasta, Barilla, in the supermarket recently. The words "Whole Grain" appear on the front of the box in giant letters. Also in fairly large type, it states "EXCELLENT SOURCE OF FIBER." It's much smaller text that admits "MADE WITH 51% WHOLE WHEAT." That's in contrast to the DeCecco product, which contains only whole semolina and some vitamins and minerals. I'm guessing that the products I enjoyed in the restaurants were not 100% whole wheat.
I wonder, by the way, why DeCecco fortifies its whole grain pasta with added nutrients. Shouldn't that be unnecessary when the flour is unrefined?
I also wondered, of course, what definition of "whole grain" allows Barilla to label its product as whole grain pasta. I found some sources (such as this one) stating that the USDA's definition is -- no surprise -- at least 51%.
I'd really like to enjoy whole wheat pasta. And I'd really like it to be 100% whole wheat. Readers, if you know a brand, cooking technique or recipe that makes whole wheat pasta delicious, please comment. I want to eat something that's good for me -- and tastes better than the cardboard box it came in.
