L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano C asale Monfer- rato is a quaint t o w n o f j u s t over 30,000 in the Alessandria province of Piedmont. It is known as the main settle- ment in the Monferrato area of the region which is part, along with Langhe and R o e r o , o f t h e U N E S C O World Heritage. Casale is known for wine and good f o o d , f o r i t s e l e g a n t o l d - Piemonte streets, and for that pleasantly sleepy, time- less atmosphere towns and villages seem to all have in this corner of Italy. Casale, though, is also known for something else: its tradition- al cookies, krumiri. Every Italian is familiar with the old, 1980s commer- c i a l s f o r t h e b r a n d - n a m e version of these crunchy yet buttery V-shaped delicacies, where an irascible bespecta- cled cookie factory owner w o u l d s h o u t a t i t s r a t h e r meek head baker for using only the best ingredients to m a k e k r u m i r i , r i s k i n g t o bring his business on the v e r g e o f c o l l a p s e – t h e assumption here being that quality ingredients are costly and the company would lose profit. In fact, thanks to that very brand, krumiri are a common sight in our grocery stores, from North to South, but we shouldn't forget their origin is fully traditional and they are made, especially in Monferrato, artisanally, too. For more than a century, they have been a beloved accompaniment for coffee and tea, cioccolata calda, and even wine wine. T h e i r g o o d n e s s , m y friends, is legendary, and their history – along with that of their name – is very interesting indeed. It all started, according to sources, in 1878, when Italy had been a unified country for only 17 years. It's dark outside and - I like to imag- i n e - l a t e F a l l , w h e n vinello, the young wine from the last harvest just reached people's tables. Domenico Rossi, owner of Caffé della C o n c o r d i a , a c a f é b a k e r y known in town as "il Botte- gone," the big store, sits at a table in his own café with a bunch of friends: wine flows aplenty, and laughter comes natural. It is in this light- hearted, perhaps a tad crass, a t m o s p h e r e t h a t k r u m i r i were invented. Legends say that, perhaps incited by the fumes of alcohol, perhaps by t h e m u n c h i e s t h a t c o m e often when we drink a glass too many, Rossi challenged his friends to create a new c o o k i e t o b e d u n k e d i n everything, from coffee to wine, and be always good: this is how, apparently, kru- miri were born. Now, as a Piedmontese, I can guarantee the scenario could easily mirror factual reality because we are not o n l y k n o w n f o r h a v i n g a penchant for a good red but a l s o f o r o u r f i x a t i o n w i t h " p a s t e s e c c h e , " t h a t type of very rich, very but- tery or chocolatey cookies you can only buy in a bakery. That a new variety of the lat- t e r w a s i n v e n t e d a f t e r a night spent with the former doesn't surprise me one bit. To have official sign of krumiri's existence, howev- e r , w e h a v e t o w a i t u n t i l 1884 when they receive an award at the Esposizione Generale Italiana in Turin. Six years later, the mayor of Casale Monferrato officially r e c o g n i z e s t h e m a s t h e invention of Domenico Rossi and mentions their ingredi- ents: eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla. N o t h i n g n e w , b u t t h e secret is in the proportions a n d , o f c o u r s e , i n t h e i r iconic shape. If you are not familiar with them, let me introduce you to a quintes- sential krumiro: three inches or so in length, dark, golden color, ridged surface, shaped like a wide-set V letter or, a c c o r d i n g t o w h o k n o w s best, like the iconic handle- b a r m u s t a c h e o f V i t t o r i o Emanuele II, first King of Italy. And it makes a lot of sense because the royal had d i e d t h e s a m e y e a r R o s s i a n d h i s f r i e n d s c a m e o u t with krumiri in an alcoholic daze: tell me you cannot pic- t u r e a b u n c h o f m e r r i l y intoxicated men trying to shape a cookie like the mus- t a c h e o f a j u s t - d e c e a s e d king... N o w , t h e s t o r y b e h i n d their name is just as fasci- nating and curious. In Ital- ian, crumiro is an old-fash- ioned term, which can be translated into English as "strikebreaker." It was popu- lar in the early 1900s, during the first struggles for work- e r s ' r i g h t s i n t h e u n i f i e d country. Crumiro, spelled with a "c," probably came from Khumirs, a tribe of Tunisian warriors, known in those years as the probable excuse used by the French to invade and colonize Tunisia. B u t t h e c o n n e c t i o n between crumiri with "c" – the non-striking workers – and krumiri with a "k" – the cookies – remains unknown, unless we accept that, as it often happens in such cases, the word was chosen just because it sounded nice. The common "c" was substituted with a much more exotic "k" and voilà, an iconic cookie was born, in shape, name, and taste. Krumiri today are sold across Italy and you can find them in all supermarkets, even covered in chocolate or with chocolate chips inside. If you are in Monferrato, m a k e s u r e y o u b u y t h e m f r o m a b a k e r y , t o t r y t h e real, original thing: person- ally, I think plain Krumiri are the best and you can't b e a t t h e m w i t h a m u g o f thick, delicious Italian hot chocolate. Give it a go, and let me know what you think! FRANCESCA BEZZONE Krumiri are recognizable from their characteristic shape (Photo: Fabio Alcini/Dreamstime) The quirky story of krumiri, the cookies with a "bad" name LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE LANGUAGE

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