Design of a Pasta. Let’s first start by looking at some cars, (you’ll understand why as you continue reading) Alfa Romeo Alfasud, Audi 80, BMW M1, De Lorean DMC-12, Ferrari GT Bertone, Fiat Spider, Fiat Uno, Ford Mustang (2006), Lamborghini Cala, Lexus GS, Maserati Quattroporte, Saab 9000, VW Golf…What do this cars have in common? They were all designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, one of the greatest industrial designers of his time. He was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999.
But that was not his only passion, apparently pasta were also part of his sphere of interest, being Italian it’s easy to understand. In November 1983 Voiello, an innovative pasta manufacturing company in Naples owned by the Barilla group, decided to develop a “modern” pasta shape. The assignment went to car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. He submitted 12 designs from which one was picked to go into production. Giugiaro named his pasta Marille. He took a very systematic approach to the problem. He realized that his new design should not absorb too much sauce and should increase its volume in water. The pasta should be both decorative and palatable. Unlike conventional rigatoni, the grooves or rugosities were on the concave surfaces of the tubes presumably to give better adherence to the sauce. Unfortunately,Marille did not remain in production very long. It seems some problems were encountered with uneven cooking.
But it ‘s not the end of pasta design, In 1987, the French pasta maker Panzani commissioned French designer Philippe Starck to design a new pasta shape for them, he called it Mandala.
Perhaps, it would be best to leave Mr. Starck tell about Mandala in his own words (from a lecture he gave at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in October 1997): “I was so happy because I’m very interested in things close to humans. I said, “OK, what can I do with pasta? Why do we love pasta? When do we love pasta? We love pasta when we are children, when we are sick, when we are stoned – ah! – or when we are old – in other words, when we are a bit regressed. But sometimes when you eat pasta you become fat. Perhaps the thing I can do is to give the same pleasure, with a good mouth full of pasta, but without making people fat. How I can make a pasta that will be ten percent pasta and ninety percent air? If you make a tube, you have ninety percent air, but when it’s cooked, it collapses.” That’s why I thought of a spring that makes the pasta stay open. And because American and French people always overcook pasta, I made two wings that have a double thickness, so that when you overcook it, eighty percent of the pasta is still al dente. I asked a doctor, “What is in pasta?” and he said, “It’s a perfectly well-balanced food.” “Well-balanced: yin-yang! Perfect, that can be the spring!” This shows you that even in something small, everything can be functional. If you just make a nice design, it’s nothing.”
Alas it seems Mandala pasta ended the same way as Marille. You can learn more about pasta in general by visiting the Museo Nazionale delle Paste Alimentari in Rome . Bon Appetit!
