L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano I t d o e s n ' t m a t t e r i f y o u ' r e f r o m t h e North or the South: a colomba will find i t s w a y o n y o u r Easter table. This sweet and fragrant "lievitato" is very reminiscent of another tra- ditional Italian cake, panet- tone, and there are plenty of good reasons we should call the two "siblings." The same buttery flavor and pillow texture, a pen- chant for candied peels and sultanas, but also for less traditional, more creative f i l l i n g s , f r o m c h o c o l a t e chips to a variety of creams. Estimators, of course, will be quick to point out there are two relevant differences between christmassy panet- tone and Easter colomba: the shape, of course — with colomba being a tad flatter and reminiscent of a flying dove or a cross — and the sugar glaze, which is com- pulsory on colomba but not on panettone. J u s t l i k e p a n e t t o n e , colomba is a culinary crea- tion made in Lombardia, b u t w e d o n ' t h a v e t o d i g back into medieval history to discover how and why it was invented. In fact, we only need to take a short stroll in time to the 1930s, a n d e n j o y t h e l i g h t s a n d g l a m o f M i l a n i n t h o s e years. M i l a n w a s a l r e a d y t h e capital of panettone, thanks to, among others, the work and ingenuity of the Motta family, that had the merit to turn a typically Milanese cake into a nationally loved one. Panettone production at the Motta pastry stores was large and required the use of special machines able to mix, knead ad bake large q u a n t i t i e s o f p a n e t t o n e dough. But what to do with them once the Christmas season was over? Leaving them inactive for 10 months a year seemed like a waste but Dino Villani, Motta's commercial director, had a winning idea: a panettone- like cake for Easter. They called it colomba ("dove") a n d h a d t h e e x a c t s a m e ingredients as panettone: butter, flour, egg, sugar and candied fruit. The only addi- tion, a deliciously crunchy layer of almonds and glaze on top. M o t t a b e s t o w e d t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o m a k e c o l o m b a p o p u l a r t o C a s s a n d r e , f a m o u s a r t d e c o d e s i g n e r , w h o a l s o c r e a t e d a p e r f e c t s l o g a n : Colomba pasquale Motta, il dolce che sa di primavera ("Motta's Easter colomba: t h e c a k e t h a t t a s t e s l i k e spring"). Indeed, Italians do associate Easter also to the beginning of the warm sea- s o n , w i t h E a s t e r M o n d a y p i c n i c s a n d g a t h e r i n g s representing for many the first "day out" after the cold m o n t h s o f w i n t e r . T h e shape of colomba, just like i t s n a m e , i s o f c l e a r Christian inspiration, as the dove is symbol of the Holy Spirit and, more in general, i s a s s o c i a t e d t o i d e a s o f Salvation and Hope. Contrarily to what hap- p e n s w i t h m a n y p o p u l a r Italian dishes, we are cer- tain the origins of modern colomba are those reported a b o v e . H o w e v e r , s o m e believe the cake may have earlier roots. A legend says that the first colomba was created in the 6th century in P a v i a w h e n , a f t e r t h r e e y e a r s o f s i e g e , L o m b a r d king Alboin was offered a loaf shaped like a dove as a p e a c e t o k e n o n E a s t e r Sunday. However, Alboin's "colomba" was much more r u s t i c t h a n o u r s : i t w a s made only with eggs, flour and yeast. I n t e r e s t i n g i s a l s o t h e story that associates colom- b a w i t h S a i n t C o l o m b a n u s , g l o r i o u s I r i s h m o n k w h o m a d e o f Bobbio his home in the 7th century. Story goes he and his monks were invited to a banquet by Lombard queen Theodelinda, who offered them dozens of sumptuous dishes. The humble monks wanted to refuse the food as a s i g n o f p e n i t e n c e a n d Colombanus, who was their a b b o t a n d u n d e r s t o o d a r e f u s a l t o e a t c o u l d h a v e offended the queen, chan- ged each dish in beautiful b r e a d l o a v e s s h a p e d l i k e doves, which his monks ate with gusto. There is one last legend we should tell. We're always i n t h e M i d d l e A g e s , y e a r 1176. During the battle of L e g n a n o , o n e o f t h e Milanese leaders saw a few doves resting on his army's flags: surprised and inspired by the animals, he asked his cooks to bake dove-shaped bread for the soldiers, so that they could acquire the birds' nobility and courage. W h o d o e s n ' t l o v e t h e w o r d s p u n t i - n o (spoon-tee-noh)? The equivalent of the English " s n a c k , " s p u n t i n o c a n b e light and healthy, if you go for some fresh fruit, but also naughty and decadent if you opt for something heftier and richer in calories. Spuntino shouldn't be a substitute for a full meal — just like a snack isn't — but we often go for one instead of a "pranzo" if we are in a rush: ho una riu- nione tra mezz'ora, non ho tempo per il pranzo. Farò s o l o u n o s p u n t i n o v e l o c e ("I've got a meeting in 30 minutes. I don't have time f o r l u n c h , I ' l l j u s t h a v e a quick snack"). The etymology of spuntino is curious, but uncertain. It s e e m s t h a t t h e w o r d m a y derive from the verb spunta- re (literally, to take the edge o f f , t o r e m o v e t h e t o p o f something), perhaps associa- ted with the idea of taking a small bite ("spuntare") off a larger piece of food. S p u n t i n o i s a c o m m o n words, one we use almost daily because who has the time for full meals with the rhythms we have in modern life — hint: we should really all slow down a bit. We often have a spuntino in ufficio ("a snack in the office") instead o f a l u n c h b r e a k , o r u n o spuntino veloce prima della p a l e s t r a ( " a q u i c k s n a c k before hitting the gym") if we're into that. A very common type of spuntino, especially among s t u d e n t s p r e p a r i n g f o r exams, is the spuntino di m e z z a n o t t e , a m i d n i g h t snack, something we all have enjoyed at some stage in our lives and that brings often b a c k m e m o r i e s o f h o m e s s h a r e d w i t h f r i e n d s , impromptu cooking sessions and a lightheartedness we all wish to still have. — Facciamo uno spuntino prima di prendere il treno — Let's have a quick snack before catching the train — Mi gira la testa! — Meglio che tu faccia uno spuntino. — I am lightheaded! — Y o u s h o u l d h a v e a snack — Che ne dici di caffé e torta come spuntino? — What about coffee and cake as a snack? LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the Day — Spuntino: it's always time for a snack! Italian Curiosities: why do we eat colomba for Easter? A colomba, ready to be baked (Photo: Andreadonetti/Dreamstime) © Bowie15 | Dreamstime.com

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