Pici

Fat, hand-rolled spaghetti made from nothing but flour and water: thick, irregular, with the satisfying chew of bread dough, draped in a fierce wild boar ragù (pici all'aglione) or simply tossed with garlic, olive oil and black pepper. Pici are Tuscany's ancient pasta: no eggs, no machinery, only hands and a wooden board.

Origin: Siena & Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy

From the journey of Wheat.

Pici are one of the oldest pasta forms in Italy: a direct descendant of the ancient Roman laganum (a flat unleavened wheat dough) and a relative of the primitive pasta forms documented across the Mediterranean. The characteristic thickness and rough texture of pici comes from the hand-rolling technique: each strand is rolled individually under the palm. Southern Tuscany (Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza) is pici country, where every grandmother makes them differently and every local restaurant claims the definitive version. The eggless, flourless simplicity reflects the cucina povera tradition; what a contadino (peasant farmer) could make from the wheat he grew himself.

Ingredients

  • 400 g 00 flour or plain flour
  • 180 ml warm water
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • for dusting Semolina flour

Method

  1. Combine flour and salt. Make a well. Add water and olive oil gradually, mixing with a fork then kneading by hand for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest 30 minutes.
  2. Pull off a small piece of dough. On a lightly oiled surface (not floured), roll it into a long rope under your palms, moving hands apart to lengthen. The pici should be about 4–5mm thick; thicker than spaghetti, thinner than a pencil.
  3. Dust finished pici with semolina to prevent sticking. Cook in heavily salted boiling water for 5–8 minutes until tender but with significant chew.
  4. For pici all'aglione: gently cook sliced garlic (6–8 cloves per person) in abundant olive oil until golden. Add crushed San Marzano tomatoes, cook 15 minutes, season, toss with pici. Finish with more olive oil and black pepper.
The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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