Pasta is made of wheat and water, it is not grown as"pasta".Wheat needs 12 to 15 inches (31 to 38 centimeters) of water toproduce a good crop. Wheat grows best when temperatures are warm,from 70° to 75° F (21° to 24° C), but not when it is too hot.Wheat crops also need a lot of sunshine, especially when the grainsare forming. Areas with low humidity are better since many wheatdiseases thrive in damp weather.North central United states, south central Canada and centralplains of Russia are all ideal wheat growing areas.Durum wheat contains the hardest kernel of all wheat varietiesand is used to make semolina. Semolina is used to make macaroni,spaghetti, and other pasta products. Durum is the best wheat forpasta products because of its excellent amber color and superiorcooking quality. Durum wheat has strong gluten characteristics thatform strong, non sticky doughs ideal for pasta processing and, ingeneral, tends to produce pasta products with superior cookingcharacteristics.