L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano D oes your town h a v e a p a t r o n s a i n t ? M y h o m e t o w n , Perugia is well protected from evil, as we have three: San Lorenzo, Sant'Erco- lano and San Costanzo. San Lorenzo is the most famous. One of the Seven D e a c o n s o f R o m e , a n d therefore among the first to have been subjected to mar- tyrdom, he is the patron of over 200 towns in Italy. The legend says that the Prefect of Rome condemned him to a cruel death, tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire. Sant'Ercolano and San Costanzo were bishops of Perugia in the early cen- turies of Christianity. As Roman citizens, they both suffered a more "normal" martyrdom, by decapita- tion. Clearly, humanity has not learned much, as after thousands of years someone of the wrong religion is still an enemy and can be perse- cuted. Ercolano suffered m a r t y r d o m w h e n T o t i l a , king of the Ostrogoths, cap- tured Perugia in 549. Little is known about San Costanzo – who is celebrat- ed on January 29 – except that he is believed to predict marriages. In Perugia, the Saint's image occupies the center place of the church's 19th century altarpiece. If an engaged couple visits the Church of San Costanzo on the day of his feast and the Saint winks at the young woman (and only she can see the wink), the couple will be married within the year. I f n o w i n k o c c u r s , t h e young man is expected to g i f t h i s f i a n c é e a r i n g - shaped sweet bread filled with nuts and dried fruit and flavored with aniseed. T h e s w e e t b r e a d i s a p t l y n a m e d " t o r c o l o d i S a n Costanzo" and it's a true symbol of Perugia's rustic cuisine. During the celebrations o f S a n C o s t a n z o , w h i c h include a night procession a n d a f a i r , t h o u s a n d s o f torcolo breads are baked in Perugia. There are "tor- coli" piled high in almost e v e r y s h o p a n d , o n t h e Saint's day, the medieval alleys of the old town smell b e a u t i f u l l y o f s u g a r a n d spices. Every home has a torcolo to savor with a cup of tea or — even better — dipped in Vinsanto, to cele- brate the Saint and hopeful- ly a new and happy mar- riage in the family. To make a good torcolo, you need high quality ingre- dients and slow proofing. The irresistible aroma of bygone times and melt in the mouth texture will cap- t u r e y o u r h e a r t a n d y o u might feel a little bit in love. Ingredients 2 0 0 g ( 1 3 / 4 c u p s ) strong/bread flour 150 g (1 1/4 cups) all-pur- pose or Type 1 stoneground flour 140 ml (2/3 cup) water 3 g (3/4 teaspoon) yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt 9 0 g ( 1 / 2 c u p ) p a c k e d organic light brown sugar 45 g (3 tablespoons) but- ter 45 g (1/4 cup) extra vir- gin olive oil The best gift for your love: the torcolo of San Costanzo LETIZIA MATTIACCI The torcolo di San Costanzo is a traditional cake from Perugia (Photo: Letizia Mattiacci) Continued to page 30 LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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