Macaroni

a preparation of wheat dough made in the form of strips and tubes. It is an invention of the Italians. The Italian bakers work in small shops. Wheat flour which must be free from bran is mixed with hot water to the consistency of paste. The finer the flour, the finer the macaroni. The paste is placed in a hollow cylinder, the bottom of which is provided with slits, straight or circular. The dough is forced through these slits by a contrivance like a cheese press. The strips are cut into the required lengths as fast as they appear. They are rolled into tubes and hardened by a partial baking. When the paste is forced through small round holes the product is called vermicelli, an Italian name meaning literally "little worms." The difference between the two products is one of size and shape. Both have attained popularity in America, becoming known through Italian restaurants. After it has been boiled and baked, macaroni is served usually with grated cheese. Vermicelli is used chiefly in soups. Numerous factories have been established in the wheat-growing states and provinces of America, but we still import large quantities of Italian manufacture. The varieties of soft wheat that contain a large proportion of gluten, the gum that is secured by chewing a mouthful of wheat, are the best suited for the purpose. Macaroni wheat is well adapted, it is claimed, to certain soils of the semi-arid West. Extraordinarily large yields are reported. Naples, Italy, is the world's center of macaroni making. Naples imports $1,000,000 worth of American durum wheat yearly, and sends America $4,000,000 worth of macaroni in return. See Gluten