The ancient Lucanian flours from Mulino Arleo
“Where I was born, I learned two things: to pack the bags of those who were leaving and to unpack those of those who were returning”
are the verses of the Lucanian poet Francesco Arleo, cousin of the characters in the story we are about to tell you.
Antonio Arleo actually never packed bags; rather, he made sure to keep his two sons in this land by practicing a beautiful and ancient profession, that of the miller.
We find ourselves in the splendid area of the Pollino National Park, in the municipality of Castronuovo di Sant'Andrea, a handful of inhabitants who, like most Lucanian municipalities, are facing a slow and relentless depopulation.
We visited the company and the fields where the wheat is grown.
We are talking about land at about 900m above sea level, far from industrialization and pollution, a spectacle for the eyes and the soul.
We have returned several times to see the wheat grow, to find Tonino (Antonio) working with his sons Alberto and Valentino, and we wanted to share with you some moments; you can find it in the following video lasting about three minutes.
Tonino made a precise choice: to prioritize quality over quantity.And so it enters into contracts with farmers, recognizing them greater value while ensuring a grain that meets its objectives: to produce flours from recovered ancient and local grain varieties brought to light.
First, let's talk about the flour Carosella and that of Mischiglio, and then of the Saragolla.
But how many types of flours are there? The most well-known and used are semolina flours (or durum wheat) and soft wheat flours, which come from two different types of wheat.
Durum wheat thrives in warm climates, has ears with large grains and small heads, whereas soft wheat grows at higher altitudes and has small ears and large heads. From the processing of soft wheat, we obtain flour 00, flour 0, type 1 flour, type 2 flour, and whole wheat flour.
From the processing of durum wheat, we obtain semolina flour, whole wheat flour, and re-milled semolina flour.
From a nutritional standpoint, wheat is composed of Carbohydrates (starch, pentosans, cellulose, and lignin), Proteins (albumins, globulins, glutenins and prolamins), Lipids, Minerals (Mg and K, salts of Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn), Vitamins (B, E).
In fact, the different types of flour have different combinations of these nutrients; for example, soft wheat flour is rich in starch but low in proteins and gluten, therefore it has a lower nutritional value compared to durum wheat flour.
The flours produced by the Mulino Arleo (Carosella, Saragolla, Mischiglio) are flours with a high nutritional profile and a series of characteristics that make them absolutely preferable to traditional flours.
Here are some of them
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they have not undergone modifications
Ancient grains only have tall ears with dark shades and irregular grains as they have not been genetically modified and for this reason they have a much lower yield
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they are less refined
The flour produced from ancient grains is much less refined compared to that produced from modern wheat.Thanks to this type of processing, in fact, we have a product that we could consider semi-whole, meaning that compared to flours 0 or 00, it retains much more of the nutritional properties present in the grain. The presence of a greater amount of fiber in this type of flour has a series of beneficial effects on human health, ranging from the regulation of intestinal motility to the prevention of cancer
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they have a lower glycemic index compared to traditional flours
The glycemic index (GI) is the property of a food to stimulate a greater or lesser secretion of insulin. For example, if one consumes rice with a GI of 117, there will be a greater demand for insulin, which will quickly send excess calories to storage tissues.If instead one consumes an equal portion of ancient flours, (especially mischiglio or rye, GI = 50) rich in proteins, complex carbohydrates, and fiber, this function will be slowed down.
In addition to the value of rediscovering these ancient grains in terms of biodiversity, it is equally important to continue to keep them alive and growing for their historical and cultural value. Ancient populations primarily sustained themselves with these cereals, which varied from region to region depending on environmental conditions. A beautiful heritage to protect, in short, so as never to forget the origin of our lands.
Dr. Anna Cosentino
Nutritionist Biologist
You can find our selection of flours by clicking here
