L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano I n C a t h o l i c i s m , t h e Cult of the Dead is very important. Who isn't familiar, espe- c i a l l y i n A m e r i c a , with the traditional Mexican celebrations for El Dia de los Muertos? In Italy, too, reli- gious events and spiritual moments of remembrance hold hands with more prosa- ic examples of the country's attachment to her faithful departed. Among them, we a l s o f i n d f o o d , e s p e c i a l l y c o o k i e s a n d c a k e s , o f t e n m a d e e s p e c i a l l y f o r o u r l o v e d o n e s f r o m h e a v e n , who are said to come to visit us in the night between the 1st and the 2nd of Novem- ber. It wasn't unusual, in the g o o d o l d d a y s , t o l e a v e a plate of these simple, whole- some treats on the table for them before going to bed, just like children of today leave cookies, milk and a c a r r o t f o r S a n t a a n d Rudolph on Christmas Eve. F r o m N o r t h t o S o u t h , these recipes strike for the simplicity of their ingredi- ents, the heavy use of sea- sonal spices, like clovers and c i n n a m o n , a n d a l m o n d s , especially in the South. And, of course, for the creativity of their names. L e o s s a d e i m o r t i ("the dead's bones") T h e s e b o n e - s h a p e d c o o k i e s a r e m a d e w i t h t o a s t e d a l m o n d s , s u g a r , whipped egg whites, flour and spices, including cinna- mon and cloves. They are traditionally enjoyed with sweet vin santo. P a n d e m e i ( " m i l l e t bread") This recipe comes from M i l a n a n d i t s n a m e i s i n Milanese. However, it isn't millet to be used here, but cornmeal. Pan de mei was created to celebrate Saint George, the 23rd of April, who is considered the saint protector of dairymen. How- ever, it also became a staple of All Souls' celebration in L o m b a r d i a ' s c a p i t a l . I t ' s made with cornmeal, regular flour, butter, yeast, hot milk, lemon rind and elderberry flowers. These cookies, as you may have guessed by their name, look a lot like small loaves of bread. I l p a n e d e i m o r t i ("the dead's bread") A f t e r t h e b o n e s o f t h e d e a d , h e r e c o m e s t h e i r bread. Il pane dei morti is common in Northern Italy, e s p e c i a l l y L o m b a r d y a n d T u s c a n y a n d , j u s t l i k e l e o s s a , i t w a s t r a d i t i o n a l l y made "for the dead," so that they could eat when they arrived on Earth from heav- en, on the night between the 1st and the 2nd of Novem- b e r . S o m e s a y t h a t t h e ancient Greeks used to make a similar cookie to honor Demetra, the goddess of the harvest. Their ingredients are very simple: flour, cocoa, white wine, dried fruit - like d r i e d f i g s , a l m o n d s a n d raisins - and spices - includ- ing cinnamon. More recent versions add also ground cookies like rich teas to the mix. They are shaped like leaves and placed on thin wafers. In many parts of the North, especially in Milan, you can find them in almost every bakery since the end of October. L e f a v e d e i m o r t i ( " t h e d e a d ' s f a v a beans") Le fave dei morti are tra- ditionally served in Tuscany and Lombardy especially, as p a r t o f t h e a l r e a d y - m e n - tioned plate of delicacies left out for the souls of our loved ones. In ancient times, actu- a l l y , p e o p l e w o u l d s e r v e cooked fava beans, but the cookies ended up becoming more popular. Who says that the dead can't taste food? These oval-shaped cook- ies are made with almonds, s u g a r , e g g y o l k s a n d e g g whites, and they are among the most popular All Souls' treats we have. La frutta Martorana F r u t t a M a r t o r a n a doesn't need any introduc- tion, nor need its name to be translated. If you've ever been to Sicily - or to a Sicil- i a n d e l i - y o u d e f i n i t e l y know those colorful fruit- shaped sweets, made with almond flour. They inherit their name from the church of Santa Maria dell'Ammi- raglio, or della Martorana, where nuns used to make and sell them. Tradition says that they created them to d e c o r a t e t h e i r g a r d e n s - empty because of the season - on the occasion of a visit f r o m t h e P o p e . T h e y a r e associated with the Fall and, perhaps for this reason, they a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y p o p u l a r around All Souls Day. La pupa di zucchero, o r p u p a c c e n a ( " t h e sugar doll") La pupa di zucchero is typical of Sicily's capital, Palermo, where it is made only to celebrate All Souls Day. It is literally what you'd expect from the name, a doll made of sugar: specialized bakers, known locally as gis- sari, create plaster or terra- c o t t a m o l d s s h a p e d l i k e dolls, where a mixture of sugar and water is poured. The resulting candy is then colored and decorated with ribbons and tin foil. Their dialectal name, pupaccena, may come from the pupa a cena, a doll that was used to decorate the dinner table of noblemen, or pupa a cera, w a x d o l l , l i k e t h o s e y o u c o u l d f i n d , o n c e u p o n a time, in Sicilian convents. Nucatoli Our last treat for the dead are nucatoli, and they come from Sicily, too, more specif- ically, from the South-West of the island. They are "S" shaped and open on the top, so they can be filled with a variety of fillings, including dried figs, raisins, honey, c o o k e d m u s t , w a l n u t s o r almonds, always flavored with lemon or orange peels. T h e y a r e t h e n c o v e r e d i n royal icing. While they are made for All Souls Day, they are also common at Christ- mas. Food for souls: Italy's traditional desserts to celebrate All Souls Day FRANCESCA BEZZONE A tray of "frutta Martorana," a traditional Sicilian delicacy often consumed on All Souls Day (Photo: Antonello Marangi/Dreamstime) A sweet type of bread baked for All Souls Day (Photo: Agcuesta/Dreamstime) LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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