L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano N aples has her sfogliatella, t h e N o r t h p l a y s w i t h the Teutonic i d e a o f k r a p f e n , b u t R o m e … R o m e h a s t h e maritozzo. You look at it and it's perfect: golden and shiny, sliced in a half, its creamy filling perfectly lev- elled all at the same height by expert hands. All you want to do is bite into it, really. In its simplicity, it's perhaps the most decadent sweet concoction one can think of. H o w c a n y o u m i s s i t , when walking around the E t e r n a l C i t y o r s t o p p i n g s o m e w h e r e f o r a c a f f è ? Rome's maritozzo is ubiq- u i t o u s a n d b e l o v e d , s o much so there's even poet- r y w r i t t e n a b o u t i t : i n R o m a n e s c o d i a l e c t , o f course, because that's what maritozzo is, Roman to the core, honest, delicious and without excuses: te guardo 'mbambolato e con amore, says Ignazio Sifone in his O d e a l M a r i t o z z o , a n d h o w c o u l d y o u n o t ? I t ' s p e r f e c t a n d b e a u t i f u l , a golden, buttery sweet loaf, sliced in a half and filled w i t h t h e w h i t e n e s s o f c r e a m a n d c u s t a r d o r many, many other delica- cies. I n i t s e l f , m a r i t o z z o i s simple: a leavened pas- try made with flour, yeast, w a t e r , s u g a r , e g g s , m i l k and butter, usually filled with – we said -- whipped cream or custard. However, there are as many varia- tions of it as there are days in the year: during Lent, y o u ' l l f i n d i t f i l l e d w i t h pinenuts and raisins; some like it covered in chocolate while the more adventur- ous love it with savory fill- ings such as burrata, toma- toes, pesto and even bac- calà. While as traditional and Roman as ever it can get, maritozzo doesn't dis- like modernity and, aware of the many different peo- ple of the world, it has also become vegan and gluten free. Maritozzo is a treat for every moment of the day: you can have it for break- fast with your cappuccino or espresso or as a deca- dent morning break, but e v e n f o r l u n c h , i f t h a t ' s w h a t s t r i k e s y o u r f a n c y . There is no limit to your i m a g i n a t i o n w i t h m a r i - tozzi, really. Let's talk history now. According to some, mari- t o z z i ' s o l d e s t a n c e s t o r s w e r e m a d e i n a n c i e n t Rome, when caring wives would bake loaves of bread with honey and raisins for their husbands, who would c a r r y t h e m a l o n g t o t h e fields where they worked; it seems that the first actu- al maritozzi were inspired by this recipe, as the pres- e n c e o f r a i s i n s s e e m s t o a t t e s t . I n d e e d , t r a d i t i o n says that ancient Roman maritozzi, larger and made with raisins, continued to b e p o p u l a r d u r i n g t h e Middle Ages, and that they were a staple of farmers' lunches around the region of Lazio. I n m o r e r e c e n t t i m e s , maritozzo became the only treat Romans would con- c e d e t h e m s e l v e s d u r i n g L e n t , b u t e r S a n t o M a r i t o z z o – s o i t w a s called – was smaller than u s u a l a n d m a d e w i t h raisins, pine nuts and can- died orange peel. As interesting as its his- t o r y c a n b e , m a r i t o z z o ' s most curious feat is cer- tainly its name. Tradition s a y s t h a t , o n c e u p o n a time, maritozzi were a spe- c i a l g i f t m e n w o u l d g i v e their betrothed on the first Friday of March (it was the equivalent of today's Saint V a l e n t i n e ' s d a y ) : o f t e n , h i d d e n i n s i d e t h e i r l u s - cious cream, there was a little gift, symbol of love a n d d e d i c a t i o n . Traditionally, the pastry w a s d e c o r a t e d w i t h t w o sugar hearts or two joined hands. Another legend says that it was women that gift- ed maritozzi to men: girls ready to marry would bake and gift a maritozzo to the most handsome bachelor in the village, who would pick the best pastry and marry the person who baked it. In both cases, the etymology of the name is clear: mari- tozzo comes from marito, husband, of which it is a diminutive of sort. While typical of Rome, maritozzi are also made in other areas of Lazio where, not surprisingly in a coun- try with such a lively lan- guage, they get different names: in Carbognano they a r e c a l l e d m a r i t e l l i , i n Vetralla panmariti and in Vignanello panpariti. W h i l e t r a d i t i o n a l l y Roman, maritozzi are made in other regions, too, but they are not quite the same a s t h e o n e s w e ' v e b e e n t a l k i n g a b o u t . I n L e M a r c h e , m a r i t o z z i a r e small bread loaves filled w i t h r a i s i n s , o n l y m a d e during the fall, when they are eaten abundantly with mulled wine and chestnuts. P u g l i a a n d S i c i l y a l s o have their own maritozzi: they are shaped like plaits, dusted with castor sugar and they are very similar, in flavor and consistency, to pain brioche. Then, of course, we have maritozzi salati, or savory maritozzi, which are popu- lar in Rome: shape-wise, t h e y a r e s i m i l a r t o t h e i r sweet cousins, but they are made with less sugar, so that their flavor is more neutral and doesn't over- power whichever filling one decides to use. They have become a bit of a staple of Rome's street food and you should definitely try them, the next time you're visit- ing the capital. I f u n d e c i d e d b e t w e e n having a sweet maritozzo or a savory one, just do like the Romans do: have one with every coffee and enjoy them all! SIMONE SCHIAVINATO A delicious maritozzo and a coffee: that's a good breakfast! (Photo: Ppy2010ha/Dreamstime) A true declaration of love: Rome's maritozzo LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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