THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021
www.italoamericano.org
28
L'Italo-Americano
I
n medieval mythol-
ogy there is a land
named Cockaigne
( C u c c a g n a i n I t a -
l i a n ) , w h i c h i s a n
imaginary place of plea-
sure and plenty where the
harshness of peasant life
does not exist. In Cucca-
g n a , t h e m o u n t a i n s a r e
m a d e o f g o l d , s i l v e r o r
cheese, lakes are filled with
milk and honey and can-
died fruit rains from the
sky.
Throughout the centu-
ries, the status of candied
fruit as the food of dreams
is unchanged.To this day,
the brilliant preserved fruit
is still an essential ingre-
dient for panettone, cas-
sata, cannoli, pastiera,
p a n f o r t e , p a n p e p a t o
and a myriad of other won-
derful treats belonging to
our culinary tradition.
However, I am sure that
s o m e o f y o u m i g h t h a v e
found yourself picking out
t h e c a n d i e d f r u i t f r o m a
slice of panettone or other
fruitcake. I did when I was
young; then I just avoided
f r u i t c a k e s a l t o g e t h e r . I
remember wondering why
anyone would ruin a cake
w i t h a l l t h o s e p l a s t i c k y
o r a n g e a n d g r e e n b i t s ?
W h a t w e n t w r o n g ? T h e
m a r k e t i s f l o o d e d w i t h
cheaply made sweets stud-
ded with candied fruit that
has no resemblance to the
luxury food of the past and
is most often than not full
o f a r t i f i c i a l f l a v o r s a n d
coloring.
Several years ago, I hap-
p e n e d t o h a v e t o o m a n y
oranges, too much marma-
lade, and more than enou-
g h a r a n c e l l o ( o r a n g e
liqueur), so I decided to be
adventurous and investiga-
te how to make candied
o r a n g e p e e l . I was not
convinced I would love it,
but I planned to use it as
decoration for panna cotta
a n d o t h e r d e s s e r t s .
Luckily, I was in for a sur-
prise: I could not believe
my taste buds, but home-
made candied fruit is hea-
ven!
Proper candied fruit is
i n d e e d a d d i c t i v e – f r a -
grant, intense and not pla-
sticky as the cheap super-
market variety. It imparts
wonderful citrus nuances
t o a n y c a k e , c o o k i e s , o r
sweet breads. I also dice it
into special salads. After
LETIZIA MATTIACCI
Home made orange peel is scrumptious! (Photo courtesy of Letizia Mattiacci)
Continued to page 30
Candied orange peel from heaven
LA BUONA TAVOLA
RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES
