L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS so that, a decade later, in 2014, Giuseppe and Federica realized the old bakery was no longer enough and moved to a larger location, with a garden, near the beautiful historical center of Specchia, i n t h e L e c c e p r o v i n c e o f Puglia: more space, more staff, more happy customers. And just last weekend, on the 4 th of December, Giuseppe and Federica opened up a second bakery in Gagliano del Capo, a borough of about 5,000, some 8 miles south of Specchia. A talented pasticcere, of course, but how did Giuseppe become famous all over Italy? W e l l , i t ' s a l l d o w n t o h i s award-winning panet- tone. Panettone, of course, doesn't need any type of pre- sentation: ubiquitous pres- ence across the peninsula during Christmastime, his o r i g i n s d a t e b a c k t o t h e Renaissance and Milan. Its traditional recipe is simple: flour, butter, sugar, yeast, candied fruit, eggs, but mak- ing it is a labor of love … and p a t i e n c e , j u s t l i k e Z i p p o i m p l i e s w h e n h e s a y s : "Traditional panettone… So m a n y t r o u b l e s , s o m a n y sleepless nights!" Yet, it is thanks to the soft, buttery most Christmasy of all cakes that he gained international fame: not many can say to have been awarded the prize of Best Artisanal Panettone in Italy by Iginio Massari, in Milan. But Giuseppe can. " I t w a s a g r e a t j o y , " h e explains. And that was just the beginning of a long series of awards for his panettone, the secret of which, according t o h i m , i s t r a d i t i o n : " O f course I followed tradition, the most authentic. So much so, you can smell Christmas after the first kneading of the dough!" Tradition, yes, but also the clear, uncompromising choice of committing to excellence, from the choice of raw materials – all of the h i g h e s t q u a l i t y – t o c o n - fronting his work with that of international masters in the field. This is an important thing because it is this very commitment we find across the vast world of Made in Italy products, a commit- ment not to cut corners to g i v e t h e m a r k e t c h e a p e r g o o d s ; a c o m m i t m e n t t o quality which, in the culinary arts, means also being faith- ful to traditional recipes and methods. But aiming at excellence has an enormous significance also for our own heritage and sense of self as a nation - let's n o t f o r g e t i t - b e c a u s e i t m e a n s k e e p i n g h i g h o u r name around the world while honoring and respecting a past that gave us much of what we are today. Yet, it is also important to keep an eye on modernity, to experiment with flavors, to play around with ingredients, just as great chefs and patissiers have always done. It is the secret of Made in Italy in all sectors: following the past and being i n s p i r e d b y c r e a t i v i t y t o design the future. T h i s a p p r o a c h g a i n e d Giuseppe Zippo an array of important awards, starting from, as we said, the first prize for best artisanal panet- tone in Milan, 2016, followed by – always in 2016 - the first p l a c e f o r P a n e t t o n e A r t i g i a n a l e S c u o l a Piemontese at the Una Mole di Panettoni competition, in T u r i n . I n J a n u a r y 2 0 1 7 , t h a n k s t o h i s P e r l a N e r a ( B l a c k P e a r l ) , a d e s s e r t inspired by Salento and made with figs, almonds and sweet olives, Zippo won the first prize for Miglior Dolce Debic Italian Style in Rimini. At the end of 2018, this time back in Milan, his Le Mille Voglie is elected third-best café-bakery in the country by the people of Bar Award Bar Giornale. Then, in 2020, his panettone received a silver medal in the M i g l i o r P a n e t t o n e d e l Mondo Fipgc competition and first place in the Classic Panettone category. Panettone made Giuseppe and his bakery famous, but we wonder if there is some- thing else he likes to bake and eat at Christmas. His ideas about it are quite clear: "Cartellate of course! They are very simple, traditional fried pastries from Puglia, that speak of Christmas at home. They are usually fla- vored with honey and orange, and often decorated with col- orful sugar sprinkles. A must on Apulian tables, from the d a y o f t h e I m m a c u l a t e Conception to the Epiphany." For those who don't know them, cartellate are a tradi- tional treat made with thin ribbons of puff pastry, usual- ly prepared with flour, white wine, and oil, then rolled on themselves to form a rose- like shape, which is fried and then flavored with a plethora of different ingredients, the most traditional of which are v i n c o t t o , c i n n a m o n , a n d s u g a r . C a r t e l l a t e h a v e a strong bond to Christmas and, according to local lore, they'd represent the Virgin Mary's halo, or the blankets u s e d t o k e e p B a b y J e s u s w a r m i n t h e m a n g e r . However, they could have a much older origin. Visual representations of cartellate h a v e b e e n f o u n d o n r o c k paintings dating back to the 6 th century BC, attesting t h e i r p r e s e n c e i n P u g l i a much earlier than the advent of Christianity. According to historians they were associat- ed with Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, and her cult O u r l a s t q u e s t i o n t o Giuseppe is about America, or better, about American- style baked goods and their popularity in Italy. Our patis- serie, we discuss, has a deep connection to tradition but, perhaps also in name of the many TV shows on air these days dedicated to baking, American-style cakes have become more popular. We a s k e d G i u s e p p e w h a t h e thinks about the phenome- non. Do we Italian really love it? "Well… I think it's a trend, and like all trends, it can cer- tainly stimulate our creativity a n d s a t i s f y o u r a e s t h e t i c sense – he explains. But in t h e e n d , w e I t a l i a n s w i l l always prefer the simplicity of our own tradition." Continued from page 4 Giuseppe Zippo holding one of the many awards he has received for his creations (Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Zippo/Pasticceria Le Mille Voglie)

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