The oil should have a melting point below about 40??? C., preferably below 35??? C. and is advantageously a vegetable oil, e.g. soybean oil, peanut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, canola oil or any combination thereof The amount of oil coated onto the pasta may be from about 0.5 to 8%, preferably from 1 to 5% and especially from 1.5 to 3% by weight based on the weight of the pasta.