L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2020 L'Italo-Americano W e k n o w t h a t , t h i s y e a r , Italians will spend their Easter in isolation. Each and every one of us at home, many on t h e i r o w n , w i t h o u t t h e warmth and family feeling typical of this day. There won't be any masses nor liturgies for the faithfuls, even if parish priests across the country have been adap- ting pretty quickly to the new situation and many will broadcast the Holy Week R i t e s o n t h e i r p a r i s h e s ' F a c e b o o k p a g e s . W h o ' d h a v e t h o u g h t t h a t s o c i a l m e d i a w a s t o b e c o m e a place to pray. K n o w i n g m y p e o p l e , I know Easter delicacies w i l l g r a c e o u r t a b l e s , i n spite of the virus: that Italy answers to fear and stress with food is common know- ledge and the more we are w o r r i e d , t h e m o r e p a n s grumble on the fire and sto- ves are at work. T h i s p e c u l i a r E a s t e r , h o w e v e r , g i v e s u s a l l t h e opportunity to think a little about what really matters, perhaps to be a tad more spiritual, instead of focu- sing on colombe and roa- sted lambs only. Perhaps, this Easter — solitary, but n o t l e s s m e a n i n g f u l , a slower, calmer, more silent Easter because spent more intimately — gives us all the occasion look into our most cherished memories, those made of childhood joy but also more recent moments o f h a p p i n e s s , p e a c e a n d , w h y n o t , a l s o o f c u l i n a r y delights and family. I t ' s a s p e c i a l m o m e n t , that inspired some of us col- l a b o r a t o r s o f L ' I t a l o - Americano to share with you "our" family Easters, f r o m N o r t h t o S o u t h , from Venice to Naples, from P i e m o n t e t o T u s c a n y . A short tour made of memo- ries and flavors we hope will bring us all together "under the same roof," even if only for the time it takes to read a n a r t i c l e . L u i g i , L u c a , Nicoletta and I, Francesca, will share with you all a bit o f o u r o w n h a b i t s a n d memories, because being a c o m m u n i t y i s e s s e n t i a l , especially in times as diffi- cult as these, and being a community also means to bring a smile on the faces of those around. And so, happy Easter to you all. May it be a mar- velous celebration this year, too. In spite of everything! Pastiera is the queen o f N e a p o l i t a n E a s t e r , Luigi tells us "Here in Naples, Easter m e a n s p a s t i e r a , t h e quintessential Neapolitan dessert for this time of the year, even if today it's quite popular all over the coun- try. Christmas is cassate and cassatine, sesamel- li, mostaccioli and roc- cocò, raffioli and pasta reale. All things adorning our tables and made in the " k i n g d o m " ( t h e c i t y o f Naples)'s most notorious bakeries, along with tradi- t i o n a l a n d h u m b l e struffoli, the only among these delicacies to be prepa- red at home. Easter, on the other hand, has casatielli, both sweet and savory, that i s , m a d e w i t h " s u g n a e p e p e , " l a r d a n d p e p p e r . Both casatielli and pastiera are almost exclusively made at home, by all families. Or at least this was the case until not many years ago…" Luca's "fusion" cuisi- ne between Venice and Calabria " T h e r e i s a b i t o f e v e r y t h i n g i n m y f a m i l y , and that's why, I think, I like to add something per- sonal and "last minute" to all festive occasions. But I can guarantee there hasn't been one Easter lunch in V e n i c e s i n c e I w a s b o r n w h e r e e i t h e r k i d o r l a m b wasn't on the table, general- ly with a side of roast pota- toes. We don't focus much o f d e s s e r t s , a t r a d i t i o n a l colomba has always done the trick, although we've grown fonder and fonder of a r t i s a n a l o n e s , a v o i d i n g t h o s e y o u f i n d o n s u p e r - Easter will be different this years all around Italy, including cities like Venice and Florence. Our collaborators recall some of their fondest memories of this time of the year (Photo: Dreamstime) A lonely Easter, but filled with memories BARBARA MINAFRA LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Continued to page 10

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