Key information :
53 Cm (l) X 33 Cm (d) X 31 Cm (h), wood and metal , early 20th century
The semolina obtained by grinding durum wheat seeds and thoroughly sifted beforehand to eliminate any impurities, was mixed with water in a large container, initially by human hand or feet then with a machine : the impastatrice (dough mixer).
We could find this kind of object in Italian large-scale kitchens and restaurants at the end of the Nineteenth century. Powered by a hand-crank, the apparatus was used to mix the dough to make bread or pasta.
This machine comes first in the production cycle of pasta : mixing the raw materials is the first stage before the kneading process with the kneading machine and the shaping of pasta with the extrusion press.