Legendary Italian grandmothers accused of adulterating their ‘homemade’ pasta and selling ‘delicacies’ from a packet – leading to a BRAWL on the streets

Pasta-making grandmothers in the Italian city of Bari staged angry protests this weekend after being accused of passing off factory products as handmade delicacies.

Famous for the ‘orecchiette’ or ‘little ears’ they sell, a type of pasta traditionally shaped by hand, an army of women line the streets of the city’s old quarter, making the food while tourists watch.

The city is experiencing a boom in tourism thanks to the Via dell’Arco Basso, known as ‘orecchiette alley’, where pasta is made in people’s kitchens, dried and displayed on wooden trays outside their homes.

But the tables where local nonnas usually work the dough and sell their wares stood empty on Saturday as production was halted as part of a concerted “revolt” against criticism of their practices.

Italian news site Quinto Potere has launched a campaign against what it calls the orecchiette ‘fraud’, claiming mass-produced pasta is being sold alongside artisanal food to unsuspecting visitors.

Dramatic scenes even showed angry pasta makers and their families taking on a journalist who confronted an old lady over what he claimed was industrial pasta, with the altercation turning physical as locals passionately defended their products.

Journalist Antonio Loconte has made it his mission to expose malpractice, visiting stalls and identifying bags of pasta he believes were made in the factory

Nunzia Caputo (center) was among the pasta makers who refused to make and sell their wares this weekend

This weekend, stalls were empty as pasta makers protested

Reporter Antonio Loconte was approached by locals who tried to physically push him off the street

Food bloggers and tourists have also shared their dismay at the sale of what they said was dry, pale industrial pasta, while others have raised concerns about hygiene in women’s kitchens.

The ‘pastaie’ have dismissed the claims as ‘nonsense’ and have called on local authorities to intervene to help preserve their tradition and protect legitimate sellers from the attacks.

Leading the protests is Nunzia Caputo, a social media star with tens of thousands of followers who has become the face of the city’s pasta makers.

Caputo met the Pope at the Vatican last week and gave him a pack of orecchiette – a fitting gift after the Pope recently wrote that AI would never replace ‘the fork’. [used] to seal the edges of those panzerotti made at home by our mothers or grandmothers.

Speaking to the Italian news agency ANSA, she stressed: ‘There is no fraud, they are artisanal dried orecchiettes, they are all handmade, but we have to dry them for hygienic reasons.

‘Tourists take them to Paris, to America, and they want them to be very dry […] so that they do not spoil during transport’.

Journalist Antonio Loconte has made it his mission to expose what he sees as malpractice by some vendors, going to stalls and identifying bags of pasta as factory-made.

‘Over the past few weeks I’ve been finding boxes of factory orecchiette in the bins. It all started from there,” he told MailOnline.

“So when I arrived in the area, the ladies first hid and then came out, they were ready to fight.”

“The ladies unwrap the factory-made orecchiette and put them in bags to sell them as if they were handmade.”

Loconte shakes a box at a pasta seller and claims her products are mass-produced and not homemade

A woman emerged from the house behind the stall and came to defend her elderly relative

In dramatic footage of the confrontation, a woman emerged from the house behind the stall, came to her elderly relative’s defense and told the reporter, “Our children are unemployed, we have to feed them!”

Loconte challenged an elderly pasta vendor at her stall with a box where he said the produce came from, and was met with anger by her neighbors and relatives.

He was then approached by other locals who tried to physically push him off the street, as stunned tourists watched the commotion unfold.

The Apulian journalist said he has been working to denounce the practice for six years, and that he continues the “fight” because of his “love” for the pasta makers and the local tradition.

“There are two problems here: the ladies’ handmade orecchiette. And then they avoid taxes and… [hygiene, hazard awareness] does not exist.

‘In addition, the stalls were initially set up for the sale of orecchiette, but recently other products have also been sold, such as cookies, pastries and drinks.’

He added that the problem had been made worse by the promotion of the city and its tradition on social media.

‘The ladies felt overwhelmed. Tourists flocked to the city to visit these women and take selfies and photos,” he said.

‘As a gesture of goodwill they bought orecchiette, but they often didn’t care whether they were made in a factory or by hand. This created a problem for other consumers.”

Stunned tourists faced angry protests this weekend, with pasta makers refusing to work

The ‘pastaie’ has dismissed the claims as ‘nonsense’ and has called on local authorities to intervene

Caputo and other pasta makers stood at their stalls this weekend and criticized the criticism received in news and social media posts as “unjust”, defending their tradition and the provenance of their food.

Speaking to authorities in Bari, the 61-year-old asked: ‘What should we do, give up this work, this long-standing tradition?

“Give us instructions, we are ready to welcome them because we want to work in a peaceful manner.”

Lilla Simone, another pasta maker and head of Il Club delle Orecchiette in nearby Altamura, also supports introducing stricter rules to ensure authenticity and protect the industry.

“What happened there has undermined our work and our reputation,” she reportedly said.

‘Orecchiette’ or ‘little ears’ are a type of pasta traditionally formed by hand

Loconte said rogue pasta sellers “felt vindicated by the previous council, which never did anything to control the trade.”

“I believe that creating regulations can benefit the ladies and also the tourists; consumers will be confident in the food they buy,” he said.

Bari’s council has said it is currently looking into introducing regulations to ensure products are made in the traditional way while protecting pasta makers.

“We are examining a series of regulations in this area, to try to find a path that involves everyone, including the operators,” said city councilor Pietro Petruzzelli, who added that it is crucial that tourists can trust the products they buy.

Bari Mayor Vito Leccese has urged pasta sellers to be honest and responsible with the goods they sell for the sake of the city’s reputation.

“Authenticity has given Bari an extraordinary appeal,” he said. ‘We are not a cultural mecca like Florence or Rome. It is the traditional activity in the historic center that gives this place allure.’