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// The Journal

Things We
Had to Say.

Opinions on pasta. Strong opinions on olive oil. The occasional deep dive into Italian food culture that nobody asked for but everyone secretly needed.

Pasta cooking in boiling water, steam rising dramatically, dark atmospheric kitchen, moody low-key lighting
FeaturedAugust 2026

Why Your Pasta Water Should Taste Like the Sea

The single most underrated step in cooking pasta. We tested it 47 times. We are very tired. Here is what we learned.

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Olive oil pouring from bottle into golden bowl, warm amber tones, bright natural light, artisan product photography
Deep DiveJuly 2026 8 min read

The Olive Oil Fraud You Probably Have in Your Cupboard

80% of olive oil sold in supermarkets is adulterated. We're not angry. We're just very, very disappointed.

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Large tube pasta shapes arranged on dark slate surface, moody product photography, deep shadows, dramatic lighting
ProductJune 2026 5 min read

Paccheri: The Pasta Shape That Slaps

It's 5cm long. It's hollow. It holds an obscene amount of sauce. What else do you need to know?

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Pasta production machinery close-up, industrial pasta making, warm factory lighting, artisan pasta process
TechniqueMay 2026 6 min read

The Bronze Die Difference: Why It Actually Matters

Teflon-die pasta looks smooth and slippery. That's the problem. Here's why bronze die pasta is the only pasta worth eating.

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Calabrian coastal landscape with dramatic cliffs and turquoise Mediterranean sea, golden hour light, southern Italy
ItalyApril 2026 10 min read

Calabria: The Region Italy Forgot to Tell You About

The toe of Italy's boot. Spicy food, incredible pasta, zero tourists. We're going to fix that last part.

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Rigatoni pasta tubes arranged on a dark marble surface, moody dramatic lighting, artisan pasta photography
ProductAugust 2026 6 min read

Rigatoni: The Ridged Tube That Rules Roman Cooking

Ridged. Wide. Hollow. Rigatoni is the workhorse of Roman pasta and it has never once let anyone down.

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Spaghetti pasta twirled on a fork over a dark bowl, steam rising, moody restaurant lighting, Italian food photography
ProductAugust 2026 7 min read

Spaghetti: The World's Most Misunderstood Pasta

The world's most popular pasta is also the most abused. Spaghetti bolognese is not a thing. Here is what spaghetti is actually for.

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Small shell-shaped cavatelli pasta scattered on a rustic wooden surface, warm natural light, artisan food photography
ProductAugust 2026 5 min read

Cavatelli: The Tiny Shell That Punches Above Its Weight

Small, curled, and deceptively good at holding sauce. Cavatelli is southern Italy's best-kept pasta secret.

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Orecchiette pasta ear-shaped pieces on a rustic linen cloth, warm afternoon light, southern Italian food photography
ProductAugust 2026 6 min read

Orecchiette: The Little Ears of Puglia

Little ears from Puglia. The cup shape holds sauce in a way that is almost unfair to other pasta shapes.

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Wide pappardelle pasta ribbons with rich meat ragu sauce in a rustic bowl, warm candlelight, Tuscan food photography
ProductAugust 2026 6 min read

Pappardelle: The Wide Ribbon That Demands a Serious Ragu

The widest pasta ribbon in Italy. It exists for one reason: to carry a slow-cooked ragu across the finish line.

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Cavatelli pasta, small elongated shell-shaped pieces with a characteristic curl and hollow interior, scattered on a dark slate surface, artisan food photography
ProductAugust 2026 6 min read

Cavatelli: The Little Hollow That Holds Everything

Small, ridged, and hollow. Cavatelli was built for one purpose: to hold sauce in every crevice and deliver it in a single bite.

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Busiata pasta, tight spiral-coiled tubes wound like a corkscrew, dry uncooked pasta on rustic wooden surface, artisan Sicilian pasta shape
ProductAugust 2026 6 min read

Busiata: The Twisted Pasta That Traps Sauce in Every Coil

A hand-rolled spiral from the deep south of Italy. The tight coil of busiata was designed to trap sauce and hold it through every bite.

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Fileja pasta, long hollow spiral tubes with a loose coil along their length, dry uncooked Calabrian pasta on dark stone surface, artisan food photography
ProductAugust 2026 7 min read

Fileja: The Calabrian Pasta That Has Never Left Home

Fileja has barely left Calabria in centuries. A hand-rolled spiral with ancient roots, it is one of Italy's most overlooked pasta shapes and one of its best.

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Foglie di ulivo pasta, thin curved pieces shaped like olive leaves with a central ridge and smaller ridges along the length, dry uncooked pasta on white marble surface, elegant natural daylight
ProductAugust 2026 6 min read

Foglie di Ulivo: The Pasta Shaped Like an Olive Leaf

Shaped to look exactly like an olive leaf. Foglie di ulivo is one of the most beautiful pasta shapes in Italy and one of the most thoughtfully designed.

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Stroncatura pasta, dark brown rough long strands made from wheat bran and semolina, dry uncooked pasta on rustic terracotta surface, dramatic moody lighting, Calabrian artisan pasta
ProductAugust 2026 7 min read

Stroncatura: The Peasant Pasta That Became a Calabrian Icon

Once the pasta of the poor, made from the scraps of the mill. Now one of Calabria's most celebrated shapes. Stroncatura has one of the most remarkable stories in Italian food.

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