How Grannies Make Fresh Pasta in the Streets of Bari, Italy

We're in Bari, Italy and today we're going to see how fresh pasta is made. Today is a very special day because this is my hometown and I'm going to take you to a local gem, a small alley in the old town where grannies make fresh pasta by hand. That's right, they are there all day, sort of, with their hands in the dough. They know everything about pasta making, they know everything about this historic neighborhood, but most of all they are the coolest grannies you could stumble upon while walking down the street. Let's go meet them! This is our boutique, our seven-year-old, our everything, adjacent to the street, you see? A step and we're out, a step and we're in. This is an art that should not be cantonalized, on the contrary, they gave it to us, we have to preserve it and pass it on, but unfortunately not everyone listens. One could say that Nunzia is the official standard bearer. In January 2020, she crossed the Atlantic to New York to share her pasta making skills with the world. Today, I meet her in her house where she shows me how she makes Paris' most emblematic pasta shape, orecchiette with semolina flour. So today, here in Bari, it's very hot. The color, that's the difference, because making this type of semolina or that type of flour is the same thing. You see, once you've made the dough, you don't have to wait for it to rise, because there's no yeast, you don't need to let it rest, we're already starting to gramina. Gramina, what does that mean? To smoothen, you see, to remove the roughness of the semolina. Then you make these little snails, depending on the size. Ah, because the semolina is rough, so it doesn't give crumbs. And that's why we don't add salt, because with salt, this grain is so granular, with salt it breaks and you really need a wrist, because there's no Bible, there's nothing that can replace it. Ah, but here you've already made the orecchiette. Ah, they're already ready? Yes. In 5 minutes? This is the regular size. The bigger one, that comes out with the vegetables, with the ragù, with... The ragù di brasciola. The ragù di brasciola and the piatto d'oc domenical di Bari. Ah, yes. Or with basil and tomato, with arugula, with cabbage, with mushrooms, it's the right size. Then there's the bigger one, that we boil in the water, and then we take it... These are the big ones? Yes, with mozzarella, a very light sauce, that they need to sauté. They don't need to get the crust, otherwise it becomes hard. It has to be quite soft. So then you have all the sauce inside. And the seasoning. Here we have the cavatelli, and then I'll show you the orecchiette alla forgiana, that all of Apulia makes them turn on the finger, like this. This is another type of orecchiette. Because these are the ones that... Because these are slightly flatter, right? No, ours are more rough, they have more roughness on the roots. Instead, this one is turned and it's smoother. Ah, it's true, it's true. See the difference? So this is a... This is the one from Bari, ours. And this is the one that's turned. All of Apulia makes them like this. Except for us in Bari. The size varies depending on the thumb, right? No, no, apart from the thumb, the size that I make is elastic. If I make it smaller, it doesn't come out. Ah, that's true. Because when there are the nails, it pokes. You have to be careful. Many people think that with the nails you can make orecchiette. They say no. You have to have manicure on the table. No nail polish, no nail polish, no nail polish, no gel. All freehand. Otherwise here... You fill everything with holes with the nails. So I... I can't do anything. I have to cut my nails. Here there's another smaller size, this one. That goes well with the ricotta. Then there's the cavatello. And this is how you eat it? With the ricotta? Yes, with the ricotta, grated with lemon and sugar. How many orecchiette do you make a day? A lot. My evening is never on the sofa, looking at the table. Because my table is like this. I look at the flowers, I make the orecchiette, I look at the table. Think, three actions in one. As they say in English, you do multitasking. I do all this. That's what they say. It means the same. Once ready, the orecchiette need to rest at room temperature to dry. Sometimes overnight, sometimes for a few hours or a few minutes. It all depends on the weather. Once I make them, there are frames, and if the weather allows it, we put them outside. If not, we put them with a fan or a stove. It's like camping, you adapt to the space. This is our workshop, our seven years, everything related to the street. Sometimes we are outside, sometimes we are inside. These are the houses of Bari Vecchio? Yes, the houses of Bari Vecchio. The shops are not called shops, but they are called Bari Vecchio's shops. In the last years, as a neighborhood... I've been living here for 62 years. My grandmother, then my mother, and now me. I live in my house, and you live here. I'm forced to work a bit, I'm always here. Now, thanks to the earphones, I know you're traveling a lot. It's been a wonderful experience. One day, a certain Luca from Puglia Turismo came for a promotion, and he said, Nunza, you have to come with us to America. I was telling the world around Nunza, he said, yes, you have to come. It's a big international fair, and you have to represent Puglia in New York. I felt so small, because I was behind all the makeup of journalists and nuns, and the consul called me and said, Nunza, come here, I want to meet you. This is an old tradition, it's important to preserve it. It's one of the beauties of Bari. They distinguish us, they know us, through these blessed earphones. I know earphones all over the world. If there weren't earphones in Bari, it would be much poorer. We hope to keep it hard and to transmit it. Can I try it? Can you show me how to do it? Take the knife first. Ok. Come close to the index. Which hand? This one. In front of the knife. Pull, pull, pull. Here's the knife. Ah, this is a knife. It's expensive. Let's say... It's ugly. It's an alternative knife. Don't think it's a magic wand. You have to train here. You're making me do an ear. Like a good footballer, to score goals, you have to train. This is for the ears. It won't come out right away. Thank God. The ears are harder. You have to shape it and pull. Let's see. Wait. I'm sweating. Like a nurse. What is it? It comes like this. It has no shape. You have to appreciate this quality. It's hot. It's hard to make pasta. But when you're inside, it's cold and pleasant. Yes, you relax. When you know how to do it. Otherwise, you're anxious. The first batch of orecchiette is ready. The pasta is going to dry outside, which is Nunzio's official shop and showroom. Don't put the ugly one. The one I made. Go. This one is big. You have to put it here. We can go outside. How long does it have to stay here? It depends. I don't have a lot of time today. Anyway, I made it come out. Thank God. It's probably because we're dressed the same. So today... We have a different color. The color of the ears. Tell him that Puglia is beautiful. The flavors of Bari are good. They're genuine, they're tasty. Come, come, come. The real Bari tradition that needs to be defended.