“Hemp Pasta?! Whassat all abaht?!”
At this year’s 7 Springs Wine Festival, we debuted out new Artisanal Hemp Pasta and it sold quite well. Frankly, we weren’t surprised by the range of the reactions to the concept, from folks who regularly use hemp protein to those more wary of it. However, almost everyone who tried the samples thought the hemp-boosted pasta had the same taste & texture as our Classic pasta. Wine festival attendees may not be your typical customers, but we figured we’d answer some of the “FAQs” about the pasta just in case....
”What’s all in it? Is it gluten free?”
The pasta is made with our usual American-grown, Roundup-free semolina wheat and water, with the addition of organic hemp seed flour (which is milled in Pennsylvania). Although hemp seed itself is gluten-free, when used alone it does not make for a tasty pasta. The gluten from the semolina wheat is what gives the pasta it’s form & texture.
“Why would you add hemp?”
Hemp seed flour adds 8g of plant-based protein to each serving of pasta (our Classic pasta only contains 2g of protein). In addition to protein, this super food is rich in other vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin E and Omegas that are essential to a healthy diet. Also, Cucina Calabrese is committed to infusing influences from around the world into our traditional Italian foods. The Chinese have been consuming hemp seed for 3,000 years.
“Will this get me high?” (asked in a joking manner or a slightly joking manner with some actual interest in this effect)
No. The long answer is that hemp seeds don’t naturally contain THC (which does get you high) or CBD (which doesn’t get you high). Therefore the FDA allows hemp seed flour to be sold as a food product. Click the link below for a more detailed explanation.
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