Key information:
19,5 Cm (bell) X 6 Cm (internal diameter), wood and iron, Second half of the 19th century
The extrusion press is a machine used for carrying out the delicate phase of the shaping for domestic, handcrafted and industrial production of pasta through die-drawing.
Because of its important size, this “torchio” might have been the property of a large family or an inn. In catalogues of agricultural machinery from the beginning of the twentieth century, those large presses were defined as “for the use of families, hotels, colleges, communities”.
This particular object comes from the region of Siena and was used to make the traditional “pici” (pasta similar to spaghetti but wider).