Every occasion is good
in Sicily to make party and to organize "schiticchi[1]" (literally “eat too much”)
and in every schiticchio that respects the rules can not lack for the sweets.
The confectionery
tradition in Sicily is as ancient as the history of the island and is, as the
whole Sicilian gastronomy, a melting pot of ingredients, techniques and preparations
left each other in inheritance from the so many dominations.
The Easter period is
perhaps one of the best of the year for all the gluttons. Every province, city
and family preserves their own tradition, own recipes and during this festivity
it is assisted on our tables to a real triumph of the glucidis. Along the list:
pupi cu' l’uovu, cassate, cassatedde,
quaresimali, cudduri, dita degli apostoli, cannoli and still so many
others. Among all, however, it detaches for its zoomorphic form the Easter Lamb of Pasta of Almonds or Sicilian Marzipan.
Already in epoch
etrusco-Roman they were prepared some little sweets of almonds by to offer to
the divinities, but the recipe of the marzipan as us we know it, done with
flour of sweet almonds, egg white and sugar, it goes up again to the XIII-XIV
century.
The name derives from
the Arabic Mauthaban or Marzaban, unity of ability in use to
Cyprus and in Armenia. As for the amphora, for the jar or for the barrel, it
became custom to call with the same name the container set on the measure. It
was a box of light wood endowed with a cover and it was used for different scopes.
To contain the correspondence or the important documents (from this the way to
say "to open the marzipans" in the sense its to disclose secrets),
but also to send special sweets produced in Cyprus, manufactured with flour,
pasta of almonds and other ingredients. These were to form of breads and since
they took the form of the box, the name of the wrap passed to the content.
In the history of the
gastronomy the most ancient and famous preparation done with the marzipan is
the Fruit of Martorana, that was born officially in Palermo, in the attached
homonym convent[2] to the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio[3]. With the marzipan the nuns
manufactured for the party of Ognissanti[4] small sweets, that meticulously
imitated fruits of every type from the vivacious colors, gotten thanks to the arabic
rubber that allowed to fix the consequential vegetable shades from roses,
saffron, pistachio and other vegetables. These delicious little sweets seems
they were very appreciated by Ruggero II King of Sicily and, in how much worthy
of king, the almonds’ paste started to have called "Pasta Reale[5]".
With the time every
religious recurrence was earned a special prepared dessert with the almonds’
paste and so to Easter, the delicious dough it takes the form of lamb as symbol
of the risen Christ. "A picuredda[6]" it has a plastic laying,
stretched out on a side and it is generally decorated with a little crown, a
red tassel and with a red banner, similar to that in the sacred iconography it
is in the hands of St. John, pierced on the back.
The tradition narrates
that the first ones to prepare this dessert were, to the beginning of the 1800s,
the nuns of the College of Mary of the neighborood "Batia[7]" of Favara. The recipe was
orally handed down, from the most elderly nuns to those more young of them. One
of the first recipes written of the Easter Lamb reveal the 1898 date and
belongs to a rich favarese[8] family of the agrarian middle class.
The particularity of
the Agnello di Favara[9] is the stuffing with a dough gotten
by the union of minced pistachios, possibly of Bronte, and caster sugar that
makes it indeed incomparable for taste and intensity of flavors.
I make "I picureddis[10]" to the palermitan way,
without stuffing therefore. I also have the wont not to paint and not to
decorate them, but this belongs to my gastronomic minimalism.
Then, that is my
recipe of the Sicilian marzipan. You use it as more you prefer it.
Ingredients: 1 kg. of flour of almonds; 1 kg.
of caster sugar; 200 g. of glucose; 250 ml of water; 1 little envelope of
vanillina; ½ salt teaspoon of salt.
Procedure: To put the water, the sugar, the
salt and the glucose in a pot. To bring to ebullition and to make to cook until
when the mixture doesn't go down to thread from the spoon.
To remove from the
fire and to add the flour and the vanilla. To mix well and to pour the mixture
on a wet ledge. When it will be cooled, work it as if same making a buttefingers
until when it won't result smooth and compact. You can also make this operation
in the planetary one with the accessory for the soft dough.
Before using it, you
allow to rest for sometime the pasta of almonds, it would be better one whole day,
wound in the plastic wrap.
Suggestions: This year the lamb eat does you him of pasta of almonds.
With
this marzipan dough you can also realize the milk of almonds. All it takes is
beating a piece of it with some water and you will get the delicious and
refreshing drink.
[1] “Schiticchiu” is the term points out for
antonomasia, and according to a consolidated tradition, the typical banquet of
the mafioso and the shady people generally. But far-back it has become
synonymous of "meal in happy company".
[2] The Benedictine monastery was made to build in 1193 from the noblewoman
Eloisa Martorana and so in her honor both the building complex and the sweets
prepared by the nuns they assumed the name of the “Martorana”.
[3] It was erect in 1143 from George of Antiochia, high officer of the King
Ruggero II of Sicily.
[4] All Saints’ Day.
[5] “Kingly Paste”.
[9] Favara’s Lamb
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