L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano I n the English-speak- i n g w o r l d , i t i s known as Yule Log, in Italy, we know it as il ceppo di Natale. It is so popular that it even made it into our translation of Harry Potter and it has i n s p i r e d o n e o f F r a n c e ' s m o s t p o p u l a r C h r i s t m a s d e s s e r t s . M a n y I t a l i a n s b e l i e v e t h a t i l c e p p o d i Natale is a British tradition, p e r h a p s b e c a u s e o f o u r national habit to attribute to others what is, in part, also ours. Yes, because the tradition of burning a large log in the days leading to Christ- m a s w a s a v e r y c o m m o n occurrence in the Belpaese o f o u r g r a n d p a r e n t s a n d great-grandparents, in times w h e n e v e r y h o m e w a s warmed during the harsh winter months by the cozy, consoling heat of fireplaces. F o r s o m e , t h e h a b i t o f b u r n i n g a l a r g e p i e c e o f wood - big enough to last through the holiday season - c o m e s f r o m t h e a n c i e n t Celts, and there is certainly some truth in associating the ritual with the beliefs of the p a g a n s , w h o t h o u g h t t h e l i g h t a n d w a r m t h i t p r o - duced could chase away the d a r k a n d c o l d o f w i n t e r . With the coming of Chris- tianity, the log started being associated with the light of Salvation brought by Christ. In Italy, every region had its own ceppo di Natale traditions. According to Mitì Vigliero (www.placidasigno- ra.com), in Milan the head of the family would hold the log in his arms like a child, place it into the fireplace then light it with a branch of blessed juniper. Then, he would pour a glass of wine, pour some onto the log and pass the glass around so that each member of the family could take a sip. Lastly, he would throw a coin in the fire, and give one to each of the people in the room. The ritual would end with the slicing of three large loaves of bread, a piece of which w o u l d b e k e p t a s i d e a n d given to whomever, during the following year, fell ill. In Emilia-Romagna, it was usual to light the ceppo di Natale on Christmas Eve. Before leaving the house to go to midnight mass, the f a m i l y w o u l d p l a c e t h r e e chairs in front of the fire, and leave food on the table for the Holy Family, who was traditionally believed to visit while everyone was at church. In some parts of the region, the log's ashes were used to "fertilize" crops. The s a m e w a s c o m m o n i n Marche. Indeed, the ceppo di Natale's ashes had bene- ficial characteristics also in Valle d'Aosta, where they were kept in a linen sachet and used to heal skin ail- ments in people and ani - m a l s a l i k e . N o t f a r f r o m these beautiful mountains, in the seaside region of Lig- uria, they were, on the 6th o f J a n u a r y , s p r i n k l e d around the house to keep p r o b l e m s a n d i l l n e s s e s away. Today, this beautiful tra- dition, so close to our hearts and to the mondo contadino w e a l l c o m e f r o m , i s n o l o n g e r c o m m o n . B u t t h i s doesn't mean that the ceppo di Natale has been forgot- ten. We call it, tronchetto di Natale or, to say it like our cousins the French, la b û c h e d e N o ë l a n d i t ' s a popular dessert, especially in the francophone world, e v e n t h o u g h w e I t a l i a n s have a taste for it, too. It is usually served on Christmas day and, if you are a good b a k e r , i t c a n b e a p r e t t y impressive culinary center- piece. It is usually made of rolled sponge cake, filled w i t h c r e a m a n d c o v e r e d with chocolate buttercream or ganache. Those who are good at cake art, often go the extra mile and make it look like an actual wood log, s o m e t i m e s e v e n a d d i n g pieces of chocolate to mimic i t s b a r k . T h i s d e l i c i o u s d e s s e r t i s k n o w n a l s o i n England, where it is called, of course, Yule log. What's r e a l l y n i c e a b o u t t h e tronchetto di Natale is that there isn't one single recipe: you can experiment with fla- vors, textures and fillings, p r o v i d e d y o u k e e p t h e shape! T o d a y ' s w o r d i s v e r y t a s t y a n d sweet! Canditi (singular: candi- to) are those lit- tle candied morsels you find i n t r a d i t i o n a l p a n e t t o n e , along with sultanas. Canditi ( k a n - d e e - t e e ) a r e j u s t chopped candied fruit of all kinds, which are broadly used in patisserie not only in Italy but around the world. People's relationship with canditi is one of love and h a t e b e c a u s e m a n y o f u s d o n ' t l i k e t h e m , p e r h a p s because they are chewy, per- haps because of the intensity of their taste. So don't be surprised if, around Christ- mas, you hear someone say- ing non comprare il panet- tone con i canditi: non mi piacciono ("don't buy panet- t o n e w i t h c a n d i e d f r u i t pieces, I don't like them"). Children especially are not too fond of them, so it's not unusual to see them togliere i canditi dalla fetta di panet- tone ("picking candied fruit out of their panettone slice"). The word candito comes from the verb candire, which is of Arab origins. Linguists say it derives from qandat, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit khandakah, "sugar." Using honey and palm syrup to preserve fruit was a proce- dure known already by the ancient people of China and M e s o p o t a m i a , a n d t h e R o m a n s w o u l d u s e h o n e y even to preserve fish. But candying as we know it today was invented by the Arabs, who exported the method - and popularity of candied fruits - to Sicily. The rest of Italy - and Europe - was to get acquainted with the deli- c i o u s s w e e t n e s s o f f r u t t a candita thanks to Venetian and Genoese traders, who started importing them to t h e O l d C o n t i n e n t i n t h e Middle Ages. I c a n d i t i n o n m i p i a c - c i o n o , m a i l p a n e t t o n e l o mangio lo stesso I don't like candied fruit, but I eat panettone anyway I canditi sono buoni solo nel panettone! I like candied fruit only in panettone! Non uso canditi nella mia torta I don't use candied fruit in my cake LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the day: canditi - that's what panettone is made of! Italian curiosities: why do we burn the "ceppo di Natale"? A Yule log burning in the fire (Photo: Rawf88/Dreamstime) © Sergiomonti | Dreamstime.com

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