L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I t's difficult to say no t o a p i e c e o f c a n d y . O r t w o , i f y o u h a v e a s w e e t t o o t h . A n d w h i l e t o d a y ' s g l o b a l i z e d w o r l d means that a lot of the sweet treats we eat in Italy are the same you have in the US - although I praise America's much larger variety of candy b a r s , e s p e c i a l l y t h o s e involving peanut butter (I a m l o o k i n g a t y o u , B u t t e r f i n g e r a n d g i a n t Reese's cups) - there are still some things we cherish as our own, and our own only. Or perhaps they just don't quite make the cut in other countries, I don't know. But, I was saying, to us I t a l i a n s o m e c a n d i e s a r e special because they speak o f c h i l d h o o d , o f g r a n d p a r e n t s a n d h a p p i n e s s . A n d t h e n i c e thing is that many of them are still all on the market, which means you can take a trip down memory lane any time you want. Now, that's what I call priceless. Le pastiglie Leone The first of our vintage candies are vintage also in their look, which made them famous - and collectible - all over the world. A staple on every Italian cafè's counter, usually just next to the till, so you can grab a little box or tin of them while you pay f o r y o u r c a f f è , P a s t i g l i e Leone have been around since 1857: that's a whole f o u r y e a r s b e f o r e t h e unification of Italy! Indeed, legends say that one of the f a t h e r s o f o u r c o u n t r y , C o u n t C a m i l l o B e n s o o f C a v o u r , l o v e d t h e m a n d used to eat one before his speeches, to make his voice clearer. In 1934, the Leone family, from Turin, sold the c o m p a n y t o t h e M o n e r o f a m i l y , a t t h e t i m e spearheaded by la leonessa, Gisella Balla Monero, one of t h e f i r s t f e m a l e e n t r e p r e n e u r s o f o u r c o u n t r y . T h e M o n e r o s eventually sold to another Italian company in 2018, b u t t h e s t y l e , t a s t e , a n d popularity of Pastiglie Leone are still the same: these little sugar candies, that come in a beautiful array of pastel colors and in virtually every f l a v o r y o u c a n t h i n k o f - f r o m m i n t t o s t r a w b e r r y , from lemon to cinnamon, all t h e w a y t o a n i s e e d a n d violet - remain a staple in the pocket of kids and adults alike, and their tins, which change regularly and often come in series, are highly collectible! Le caramelle Rossana W h e n i t c o m e s t o chocolate and candy, you can't really get away from Turin and Perugia. Indeed, our second vintage candy h a s b e e n p r o d u c e d b y P e r u g i n a s i n c e 1 9 2 6 . Caramelle Rossana are ubiquitously known for their elongated shape and red, luxurious wrapping - hence the name Rossa Perugina, w i t h w h i c h t h e y a r e a l s o known. Apparently, their name was inspired by that of Cyrano de Bergerac's love i n t e r e s t , R o x a n n e , i n E d m o n d R o s t a n d ' s p l a y , and they were created under t h e s u p e r v i s i o n o f L u i s a Spagnoli herself, at the time head of Perugina. Caramelle R o s s a n a a r e o f t e n a s s o c i a t e d w i t h grandparents because you can bet what you want they always, always have a packet of them in the house. They are decadently rich, with their sweet, hard shell and creamy nutty filling made w i t h h a z e l n u t s a n d almonds: a flavor I wasn't too keen on when I was a c h i l d , b u t t h a t I c a m e t o really appreciate as an adult. Le caramelle Elah Ah, le Caramelle Elah! Everyone loves them. And how could you not, they are t o f f e e s ! C r e a m y a n d d e l i c i o u s , t h e y c o m e i n m a n y f l a v o r s , f r o m t h e classic Cubik in their red and yellow wrapping - your regular toffee - to fruit ones, a l l t h e w a y t o t h e i c o n i c mint-and-cream (in their white and black wrapping) and licorice (brown, yellow, a n d g o l d w r a p p i n g ) . Personally, I love them all equally. Elah (pronounced eh-lak) was founded in 1909 by Genoese Francesco Molié and remained in the family until the 1970s, when it was sold to Dufour. Today, both brands are part of the Novi Group, from Piemonte, well- k n o w n I t a l i a n c h o c o l a t e producers (their chocolate is, indeed, delish, especially their gianduia bar with full hazelnuts). Le Galatine W e c o u l d n ' t w r i t e a n article about vintage Italian candy without mentioning them, the quirkiest, most d e l i c i o u s - b u t a l s o m o s t divisive - candies of the Belpaese's candy universe, le Galatine. What are they? That's simple, they are milk c a n d i e s . B u t t h e y a r e d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h e r e s t b e c a u s e t h e y a r e n e i t h e r hard nor chewy, they are, well… chalk-like. Now, this is in fact the main criticism Galatine detractors make, that they taste and look like chalk, but nothing is further f r o m t h e t r u t h , t r u s t m e . They are sweet and creamy and they last forever if you don't crunch on them. They are luscious and milky, with a very mild hint of honey as an aftertaste. And if you go for the crunch instead, you won't be disappointed: they crack easily and their flavor g e t s e v e n c r e a m i e r a n d s w e e t e r . G a l a t i n e w e r e created by Polenghi (a large Italian dairy company) in 1956, but have been made by Sperlari, one of Italy's main candy producers, since 1996. Indeed, the passage from one company to the other probably brought the only change Galatine have ever had, that of their shape, which went from square to r o u n d . W h e n i t c o m e s t o their taste and the variety of flavors -surprisingly simple: milk, milk and chocolate, milk and honey, milk and s t r a w b e r r y - t h e y h a v e h a r d l y c h a n g e d , t h o u g h : because (and I admit I may be biased, I love them!), why w o u l d y o u c h a n g e s u c h a good candy? The delightful world of Italy's vintage candy CHIARA D'ALESSIO Galatine have been in the pockets of generations of Italian children LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

• Cover