L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano W e c a l l t h e m c o r i a n - doli, the r e s t o f the world calls them "confet- ti," but they are the same thing: those little colorful paper disks that cheerfully fill the air and the streets at Carnevale time in Italy, and i n e v e r y f e s t i v e o c c a s i o n e v e r y w h e r e e l s e . I n d e e d , while confetti are common in a l l t y p e s o f c e l e b r a t i o n s abroad, Italian coriandoli are all for Carnevale. What not many may know, though, is t h a t t h e h a b i t o f u s i n g coriandoli/ confetti is an all- Italian invention. During the Renaissance, p e o p l e u s e d t o c e l e b r a t e C a r n e v a l e p a r a d e s b y throwing flowers, oranges and egg shells filled with essences to one another: it was fun and it fit well into t h e w h o l e " l e t ' s b e j o l l y " a t m o s p h e r e o f t h e e v e n t . Needless to say, it was also an enormous waste of food. 16th century Florentine bota- n i s t G i o v a n v e t t o r i o Soderini was the first to mention an important chan- ge in the practice, that of using sugared coriander (coriandolo in Italian) seeds instead of more expensive food stuff. These little can- dies took the name of the seeds they were made of, and became known as coriandoli. T h e o r i g i n a l c o r i a n d o l i belong to the candy category of confetti (a candy usually covered with a sugar shell) w h i c h i s t h e w a y w e c a l l coriandoli in English. So we can say that the English con- fetti come from Italy, too. Coriandoli used to be can- d i e s p e o p l e w o u l d t h r o w during Carnevale parades in t h e g l o r i o u s d a y s o f o u r Renaissance, but what's the story with the paper disks we use today? Well, while certainly chea- per than flowers and oran- ges, sugared coriander seeds were pretty expensive, too, a n d n o t e v e r y o n e c o u l d afford to waste so many for a day of street gaiety. So in later decades, sugar was sub- stituted with colored plaster. Some actually say that the seeds were eliminated com- pletely and that coriandoli were, for a while, just tiny, colorful plaster balls. But if w e w a n t t o f i n a l l y m e e t modern coriandoli/confetti, we need to fast forward to the late 19th century: it was 1876 when young Ettore Fenderl from Trieste, in an attempt to save extra money, d e c i d e d t o c u t o u t s o m e paper and to use that instead of the more expensive plaster coriandoli. In truth, it was to emerge, Ettore wasn't the first one to think of it: one y e a r e a r l i e r , E n r i c o M a n g i l i of Crescenzago, near Milan, had used paper c u t o u t s l e f t o v e r f r o m silkworm farming as corian- doli. But where did the Italians get the habit of thr owing small things at each other during celebrations? Well, in fact, it's a tradition we inhe- r i t e d f r o m t h e a n c i e n t Greeks, who would throw leaves and flower petals to v i c t o r i o u s a t h l e t e s , w a r heroes, newlyweds and also during funerary parades. The habit is well documented in western culture, but the rea- sons behind it aren't as clear: some anthropologists believe it was a symbolic way for the m a s s e s t o p a r t i c i p a t e t o triumphal marches with their heroes, flowers and leaves being the symbol of gifts. Others, on the other hand, prefer a more esoteric expla- nation, stressing the magical powers of plants and flowers in ancient Mediterranean civilizations and also later, well into the Middle Ages. I t ' s c l e a r t h a t coriandoli/confetti are a very Italian invention, with deep Mediterranean roots. To be fair, in Europe coriandoli are really a whole-Italian affair even when it comes to their p r o d u c t i o n . T h e h o m e o f c o r i a n d o l i i s i n Porcellengo di Paese, just outside Treviso, where Mr. Franco Carnevale (yes, that's his name!) has been making them since 1982. He explains how, to make good coriandoli, you must "mix two different kinds of paper. W e u s e o n l y o l d m o v i e p o s t e r s c o m i n g f r o m t w o Roman typographies, becau- se we know they are good quality. To that, we add spe- cially made paper in colors like pink, green and purple… not too bright, so they are cheaper…" Mr. Carnevale sells his coriandoli all over E u r o p e ; p r o d u c t i o n g o e s strong from September to t h e e n d o f t h e I t a l i a n Carnevale, with the rest of the year being spent plan- n i n g , o r g a n i z i n g a n d bookkeeping. E v e n i f p a r a d e s and balls are out o f q u e s t i o n , Carnevale has no intention to take the year off. With Veni- ce and other towns going fully online with their tradi- t i o n a l m a s q u e r a d e s , a n d bakeries — and families — across the country frying chiacchiere like there is no tomorrow, the atmosphere is t h e r i g h t o n e i n s p i t e o f restrictions. T h e v o c a b u l a r y o f t h e Italian Carnevale is varied and rich, beginning with the word Carnevale itself, of course. In Italy, Carnevale (Car-nai-vah-lai) has a very specific meaning. While in English "carnival" can also mean a general party or cele- bration where dancing, para- ding and masquerading are i n v o l v e d , t h e I t a l i a n Carnevale is only the one that happens the week before Lent begins. The word itself symbolizes it, as it comes from the Latin expression c a r n e m l e v a r e , o r t a k i n g away meat from one's diet, which is what traditionally Catholics do during Lent. Carnevale is a time of merri- ment and fun before the 40 days of penance leading to Easter. Gaiety, jokes and costu- mes, but also loads of good, decadent food. Throughout Italy, light, delicious parcels of thin fragrant dough, either simple or filled with jam, are perhaps the most typical of all Carnevale treats: we call them chiacchiere (kiah- kiai-rai, but also bugie or frappe, depending on the region), which means "gos- sip," "tattle." Legends say that they were first made by R a f f a e l e E s p o s i t o , Neapolitan chef who used to w o r k f o r Q u e e n Margherita of Italy: one day, the monarch asked him to create something to have with her guests while having a c h a t , o r , a s w e ' d s a y i n Italian, mentre faceva una chiacchierata con gli ospiti. He invented these delicious cookies and chose the name inspired by the occasion when they were first served. …What else is typical of Carnevale? Maschere, of course! Maschera (mah- skai-rah) comes form the Medieval Latin word masca, which means "witch." The maschera is used to hide and disguise, just like something a witch would do, and that's how the word came to be! Per Carnevale mi trave- sto da Dracula. I'm going as Dracula for Carnevale. Facciamo due chiacchiere mangiando chiacchiere! Let's chat and have chiac- chiere! Con quella maschera non ti avevo riconosciuto! I didn't recognize you with that mask on! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Words of the Day: a Carnivalesque mix! Italian Curiosities: why do we use coriandoli for Carnevale? Coriandoli (or confetti, as we say in English) are a very much an Italian affair (Photo: Jborzicchi/Dreamstime) C a r n e v a l e , c h i a c c h i e r e , m a s c h e r a … h e r e ' s o u r c a r n i v a l e s q u e m i x ! ( P h o t o : Miraswonderland/Dreamstime)

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