Which Pasta Was Made Illegal?

Short answer
Stroncatura pasta is historically comprised of not just the offcuts that littered pasta makers' floors after a long day of production but all the grime and detritus that came about from its output, too. Ultimately, it was deemed so hazardous to public health that it became famous as the world's only illegal pasta.

Long answer
In the same way that it's now trendy for the rich to be seen shopping in Aldi, stroncatura pasta can be found on Michelin-starred restaurant menus across Italy. That is, despite its grim origins, it was eventually banned for human consumption.

Loosely translated as "leftovers," stroncatura is a unique style of pasta that hails from Calabria in southern Italy. It was made from all the scraps of dough that ended up on the pasta maker's floor at the end of the day. These irregularly shaped offcuts, along with dust, dirt, and detritus, were swept up to produce a pasta that was deemed so hazardous that a law was passed to make it illegal to sell.

Because of its low price tag, stroncatura continued to be sold on the black market well into the 20th century.

The original pasta was so dark and grubby that you could be forgiven for thinking it was made from premium dark rye flour. It was cooked with a pungent sauce made from anchovies, garlic, chillies and breadcrumbs to mask any off-tastes or odours.

Stroncatura, or at least its spirit, has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years and can now be found all over Italy. These days, the deep brown colour is achieved using flour wheat grain, but the humble, albeit gross, history of the shape lives on.