Today marks an exciting expansion of scope for the posts that appear on this site each Thursday. While that day will continue to focus on tennis books and media, this day will now also spotlight non-tennis products that have crossed my radar thanks to tournament sponsorships. While I’m not likely to ever be in the market for a Porsche or a Rolex, there are plenty of sponsor-driven temptations that are squarely in my wheelhouse. Case in point: Pasta Rummo.
Pasta Rummo is the official pasta of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The official logo is featured on the umpire’s chair, and presumably, only Rummo pasta is served in the Foro Italico during the tournament. That means that as this ATP and WTA 1000 tournament winds down, tennis fans have been inundated with subtle but persistent reminders of the Rummo sponsorship.
Rummo is a family-owned pasta company founded in 1846 in Benevento, Italy. According to its website, the company is known for its high-quality durum wheat pasta and signature “Lenta Lavorazione” (slow processing) production method. Rummo’s products are crafted from high-quality durum wheat semolina and are certified by Bureau Veritas for their resistance to overcooking, ensuring a consistently “al dente” bite. The question is, does the product live up to the marketing hype? That is the kind of hard-hitting tennis topic that I am here for.
Pasta Rummo uses a numerical system to identify the precise variation of pasta shapes and sizes. For example, a cook might select spaghetti (No. 3) or penne rigate (No. 66). The numbers in use imply that there are hundreds of variations, but apparently not all are in current production. Still, the system evokes the impression of a rich catalog of pasta tradition. It also delivers a sense of precision to matching the pasta with various forms of preparation and sauces.
To best evaluate Rummo pasta products, it seemed fitting to use recipes published by the company on their website. I decided to try my hand at Graminga (No. 98) Salsiccia. In English, that would be Graminga (No. 98) with Sausage. As tasty as it sounded, I ran into an immediate snag. While several of my local grocery stores carry Rummo products, none had Graminga (No. 98). Additionally, despite the presence of the recipe on its site, Rummo does not list Graminga (No. 98) in its product list. So right off the bat, substitutions were necessary. That is the downside of the false sense of precision implied by the numerical cataloging system.
In addition to the Graminga Salsiccia, I tried a few other recipes off the Rummo official site. One observation is that I am pretty sure these recipes were translated from the original Italian to English. It would be strange to assume otherwise. However, I think something was lost in the translation. I found the instructions were somewhat inconsistent at times and left a lot of room for culinary interpretation. It’s almost like your senile Nona, a very good cook, wrote down her recipes for you.
As an example, the first cooking instruction in the Gramigna Salsiccia recipe is to saute a diced onion in butter. While that is always a good start to any recipe, butter was not listed on the ingredient list, and no quantity was specified. Presumably, an experienced cook will intuitively know how much butter is needed based on the amount of onions, but I suspect there will be some variation from cook to cook. Due to my own culinary influences as a good southern girl, my inclination would be to “Paula Deen” a whole stick into the pan with perhaps one more for good measure. (I used a more moderate amount.)
In this recipe and others, I found instructions that reflected a lack of continuity, such as “turn the heat down again” when at no point in the previous steps was a direction to modify the heat at all. The measures for all ingredients use European units, which require some conversion. Fortunately, I am one of those engineers who can do math. Additionally, some recipes call for types of cheese that are not widely exported to the United States.
In other words, just getting ready to prepare recipes from the Rummo site requires a pencil, calculator, and some design decisions for the substitutions. These entrees are not intended for quick weeknight meals as they generally require both long preparation timelines and active attention. These are the foods you make for those occasions when cooking is as much a part of the entertainment as consuming the end product.
The Graminga Salsiccia I made, using Bucatini (No. 6) as a substitution for the Graminga, was stunning. The savory sausage is complemented by the sweetness of the onions and the tanginess of the tomato. The cream ties everything together, creating a cohesive and indulgent sauce. Topping it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese added a finish that elevated the dish.
While it is tempting to believe that dried pasta products are more or less equal, I appreciate the texture that the Rummo Bucatini (No. 6) brought to the dish. I feel like other brands that are more commonly used on this side of the pond basically use undercooking to achieve al dente. The Rummo pastas I have tried over the past two weeks consistently produce a tender but chewy mouth feel. Rummo products now enjoy preferential status in my shopping cart.
In the end, this little culinary adventure is proof that sponsorship marketing in tennis works. Watching a tennis tournament would never be confused with commercials for food products. But here I am, advocating for a brand I only noticed because of product placement on the umpire’s chair. Well played, Rummo, well played.
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