Sfogliatrice, pasta maker

This instrument flattens pasta dough to make into tagliatelli (2 mm), fettucini (6.5 mm) or tagliolini. The dough, made of soft wheat flour or durum semolina, eggs and possibly a little water, is kneaded by hand or by machine and then “pulled” to thin it out, either by hand using a pastry roller or with a machine like this one. The machine attaches firmly to the worktop with a vice. The ball of dough is cut into quarters which are dusted with flour and flattened before being run through the machine’s two rollers by turning the handle. The rolled out dough is then folded and reinserted into the device. This action is repeated two or three times, each time reducing the gap between the rollers. The dough’s final thickness is chosen based on the future recipe and/or the sauce accompanying it. The device, which is still commonly used today, is a testimonial to the traditionally domestic production of wheat pasta in Italy.