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Whole-Wheat Pasta, We Found, Is Something of an Acquired Taste

Our whole-wheat spaghetti taster, chef Davide Megna of Amici Miei in Rockville, tried eight brands before throwing in the towel. (By Katherine Frey For The Washington Post)

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Bionaturae Organic: Texture "a little better" than all the others -- not so tough or crumbly. Flavor not as strong. Good appearance in the bowl. Megna's verdict: "Not that bad."

Trader Joe's Organic: Good appearance in the bowl -- strands not too stiff. Flavor doesn't overwhelm the sauce. Firm texture. "I don't dislike it too much," said Megna.

De Cecco: Very firm texture; strands appear stiff in the bowl. On the plus side: Flavor not overly strong when combined with a sturdy sauce.

THE REST

Westbrae Organic: "Strange, really weird consistency." Overly strong wheaty flavor -- needs "a lot of sauce."

Hodgson Mill: Bad texture -- "tough, almost crumbly." Bad flavor. "Oh my God," Megna said, his mouth full. "I don't know if I can swallow this."

De Boles: Texture not as chewy as some others, but an unpleasantly strong flavor, even with a lot of sauce. "I would never sell something that tastes and looks as bad as this," Megna said.

IN LAST PLACE

Ronzoni: Awfulflavor. Texture not too bad, but can't make up for the flavor.

Annie's Homegrown: The worst, both in flavor and texture. The strands are crumbly and break easily. Grainy flavor is overwhelmingly strong.

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