MACARONI (Ital. maccheroni) a pecu liar paste or dough prepared from wheat flour and manufactured into tubes or ribbons. It is an Italian invention, and, though made by a simple process, has never been produced with so great success in any other country. The grain grown in the more southern countries of Europe is said to possess a greater amount of gluten, and is therefore better adapted to this manufacture. The wheat, after being washed, is freed from the husks and ground in water mills, when hot water is added till it is of the consistency of stiff dough. Five different quali ties of flour are obtained by an equal number of siftings, the last giving the finest and most delicate that can be made. To reduce the dough to tubes or ribbons a hollow cylindrical cast iron vessel is used, having the bottom perfor ated with holes or slits. When this is filled with the paste a heavy iron plate is driven in by a powerful press, which forces the paste through the holes and gives it the shape of the perforations, the workman cutting off the pieces of the desired length as they come through.
During this process it is partially baked by a fire made under the cylinder. Sometimes the flat pieces are formed into tubes by uniting the edges before they are thoroughly dry. After being hung up for a few days they are ready for use. The largest tubes are called maccheroni, the smaller vermicelli and the smallest fedelini. Macaroni is prepared for the table by boiling and baking with grated cheese, and is in common with vermicelli and the other varieties much used in the preparation of soups. Since about MO the use of macaroni in the United States has largely increased, and where it was once only consumed by Italians in this country, it is now eaten by all classes. Numerous macaroni factories have been established in New York and elsewhere. The United States imports an nually from Italy over 500,000 boxes of maca roni..